Tunde forced a smile. “I’m just tired,” he replied quietly. But the truth was different His account balance could barely survive the week. Transport was expensive. Food prices kept rising. Bills never stopped coming So gradually, he stopped going out. Not because he hated fun. Not because he suddenly became antisocial. Life simply became too expensive One evening his friends were planning dinner. “Everybody drop 15k,” one of them said casually. Tunde stared at the message silently. 15k was almost his feeding budget for days He typed: “I’m busy.” Then muted the group chat quietly That’s one painful thing about poverty people rarely discuss. It changes people emotionally. Some people become quieter because survival is stressing them. Some avoid calls because they borrowed money already. Some stop attending events because they are tired of explaining why they can’t contribute Meanwhile online, they still post normally. Still laugh. Still act okay Nobody sees the anxiety behind every transaction. Nobody sees the mental calculation happening before buying even small things “Can I afford this?” “What if emergency happens tomorrow?” “How will I survive next week?” Poverty humbles confidence quietly. And honestly, many struggling people are not lazy or unserious. They are simply exhausted from constantly trying to survive in a difficult economy That’s why kindness matters deeply now. Because not everybody smiling publicly is financially okay privately 🫶 #Nigeria #LifeTalk #Relatable #Adulting #Reality #Economy #Survival
