"Because it’s outrageously easy to compare our insides to other peoples’ outsides, we can become convinced that everyone else has their lives together and we’re fundamentally broken. But the truth is, we’re not alone.

“'Inside, so many of us at our core are worried that we’re scarred, wounded, and broken, and we’re never going to be healed,' says Michelle Chalfant, therapist and creator of The Adult Chair model. 'And we hide it. We wear these masks in order to project who we think other people think they want us to be.'”

“'I’ve been surprised by how often the same worries, concerns, self-critical thoughts, and sad ruminations come out of different people’s mouths,' says Jon Petruschke, a therapist in Portland, Maine. 'We often mistake normal features and behaviors of the human brain for character flaws or personal defects. You’re not damaged or flawed or broken for having these thoughts or feelings.'"

Article: You’re Not Broken: What Therapists Want Us to Know About the Human Experience.