The Fear of Being Seen

THE FEAR OF BEING SEEN

The thought of stepping into the light again,
Where eyes can find me, where I cannot hide,
Brings a wave of panic that tightens my chest,
Anxiety ripping like a current beneath my skin.
To reenter the world feels like walking on glass,
Each step fragile, each glance reminds me of being exposed.

Being seen is more than just a simple gaze—
It’s vulnerability.
I wear my masks like armor in the crowd,
Smiling when needed, nodding at the right time.
Yet beneath it all, there’s a tremble in my soul,
For they see the mask, but not the cracks underneath.

How often I’ve pretended, played the part, their part
Exhausted by the effort of fitting into the fold, a clueless misfit.
Every conversation a performance, every word rehearsed,
Leaving me drained and hollowed out.
There’s a price to pretending, one too steep to pay,
But what choice is there when hiding feels like safety?

Sometimes, it’s easier to fade into the shadows,
To be invisible, unseen, untouched by the world’s gaze.
For to show my true self is to open a door
To judgement, to misunderstanding and hurt.
And so I stay hidden, behind my carefully built walls,
Wondering if one day, I’ll have the courage to let them fall.

Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:10):
It's sort of stepping into the light again, where eyes
can find me, where I cannot hide brings a wave
of panic that's eightens my chest. Anxiety repair like a
current beneath my skin. To reenter the wall feels like
I'm walking on glass. It's step fragile. Each glass reminds
me of being exposed. Being seen is more than just

(00:31):
a simple gaze, is vulnerability. I wear my max like
armor in the crowd, smiling when heeded, not then at
the right time. Yeah, beneath it all that, the tremble,
and my soul for the city mat but not the
cracks underneath our often have pretended play the part, their
parts exhausted by the effort of it, into the food, cloless, misfit.

(00:56):
Every conversation is a performance. Every word is reheard, leaving
me trained and hallowed out. There's a price of pretending.
Want to steep to pay? But what choice is there
when hiding feels like safety. Sometimes it's easier to feel
into the shadows, to be invisible, unseeing. I'm taught by
the world's case, but to show my true self is

(01:18):
to open a doors. Judgment seems understanding and hurt, and
so I stay eating behind my carefully built walls, wondering you.
One day I'll have the courage to let him fall.