"Hiyori, aren't you tired?"
Sora asked worriedly. Hiyori was always calm, but today was different.
"I'm fine," Hiyori smiled. But the smile was a bit stiff.
Mira observed quietly. Then wrote, "Forcing yourself."
Hiyori looked at Mira with surprise.
Sora said gently, "Can you tell us? Something happened, right?"
Hiyori sighed. "...Actually, lately I've been receiving consultations from friends continuously."
"That's like you."
"But I'm tired. Suppressing my own emotions, always being in the listener role."
Mira wrote again. "Emotional suppression."
Sora organized in her notebook. "Psychology researches the effects of suppressing emotions too much."
Hiyori nodded. "Emotional suppression functions well short-term. But long-term, it adversely affects mind and body."
"Specifically?" Sora asked.
"Stress accumulation, burnout syndrome, physical symptoms. Suppressed emotions appear in other forms."
Mira wrote her own experience. "Headaches, stomachaches."
"Yes," Hiyori acknowledged. "Mind and body are connected. Mental problems can appear as physical symptoms."
Sora thought. "But expressing all emotions is also a problem, right?"
"That's the difficulty of balance," Hiyori explained. "There's a concept called emotional labor."
"Emotional labor?"
"Hiding your true emotions for work or role, and expressing expected emotions."
Sora understood. "Like service workers always smiling?"
"Yes. And me being in the listener role is, in a sense, doing emotional labor."
Mira wrote, "Surface acting and deep acting."
Hiyori supplemented. "Surface acting fakes emotions. Deep acting tries to actually change emotions. Both consume energy."
"So what should we do?" Sora asked.
"First, notice your own emotions. Then express them appropriately."
Mira nodded slightly.
Hiyori continued. "Not suppress emotions, but accept them. Acknowledge 'I'm tired now' 'I'm sad now.'"
"Just acknowledging makes you feel better?" Sora questioned.
"Surprisingly better. Because the energy used to suppress emotions is released."
Mira wrote, "Labeling emotions."
"Exactly," Hiyori nodded. "By naming emotions, you can objectify them. And a sense of control emerges."
Sora wrote in her notebook. "Feeling emotions and being controlled by emotions are different."
"Exactly. Feeling emotions is natural as a human. What's important is how to deal with emotions after acknowledging them."
Mira looked at Hiyori and wrote, "You can rest."
Hiyori teared up a little. "Thank you."
Sora said, "Hiyori, you always listen to everyone. But Hiyori's own emotions are important too."
"I know. But I'm not good at expressing weakness."
"That might also be a type of perfectionism," Sora pointed out.
Hiyori had a realization. "Certainly... I thought I always had to be strong."
Mira wrote, "Courage to show weakness."
"Showing weakness isn't being weak," Sora said. "Rather, it's the strength of being honest with yourself."
Hiyori slowly nodded. "I was suppressing emotions too much. Maybe that's why I couldn't accept my weak self."
"What are you afraid will happen if you express emotions?" Sora asked.
Hiyori thought. "Being rejected, being a burden, being thought of as weak."
Mira shook her head. Then wrote, "That's not true."
"People who really care will accept your emotions," Sora assured.
Hiyori took a deep breath. "Actually... I've been feeling very lonely lately."
Sora and Mira waited quietly.
"I listen to everyone. But I have no one to talk to. I know it's a wall I created myself."
Mira reached out and held Hiyori's hand.
Sora said, "We're here."
Hiyori shed tears. "Thank you. Suppressing emotions too much, I didn't know what I was feeling anymore."
"That must have been a painful experience," Sora empathized.
Hiyori wiped her tears. "But now, I feel lighter. Expressing emotions is so liberating."
Mira smiled and wrote, "Let's cry together, laugh together."
"Yes," Hiyori laughed peacefully. "Relationships where we can share emotions. That might be real connection."
Sora wrote in her notebook. "Befriending your weak self. That's accepting yourself without suppressing emotions."
The three sat quietly. A gentle time of releasing emotions.