#icouldhavebeenaninstapost

<p><span style="color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 1)">"Sometimes, you are hurt and shaken. And there is no one around to hold your hand. But then, you</span></p><p><span style="color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 1)">find courage in words. Words that don't complain when your tears leave them moist. Words that</span></p><p><span style="color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 1)">keep your dark secrets safe even when you hide them in brackets. Words that understand that</span></p><p><span style="color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 1)">sometimes you are left with just no choice. Words that reflect the image of a heart that has forgotten</span></p><p><span style="color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 1)">how to smile. Because when no one else listens, words listen. Talk to them, often.</span></p><p><br></p><p><span style="color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 1)">Instagram is for the good, the pretty stuff, for the lovely images we take of ourselves and of the lovely meals we</span></p><p><span style="color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 1)">have. But what about the not-so-pretty moments, the not-so-#instaworthy feelings? After all, we do</span></p><p><span style="color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 1)">live through days and nights that are neither pure black, nor dark white, and neither all that grey.</span></p><p><span style="color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 1)">Can we change the narrative? Yes, and we should. As we battle heartbreaks, breakdowns, and</span></p><p><span style="color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 1)">challenges - can we start an open conversation on how we are feeling, truly?</span></p><p><br></p><p><span style="color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 1)">#icouldhavebeenaninstapost is a book and an invitation to scroll through short shorts where we</span></p><p><span style="color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 1)">express our 'unpretty'' moments in an OTT Insta-friendly manner and find strength thereby. It's the</span></p><p><span style="color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 1)">answer to the question - how does one pick up the shards each day and piece them together? It's</span></p><p><span style="color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 1)">for the one who needs to hear these words - you are not alone. It's for the one who needs a hug, a</span></p><p><span style="color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 1)">shoulder to cry on, a reminder to check on oneself, or a pat to acknowledge the magic of self. It's for the one who was mistold that it's not okay to share pain, cry, and scream. It's for the one who knows that sometimes a bunch of right words is the only shield one needs. It's for the one who took a hashtag and turned it into a reminder, a victory, a self-care ritual. The emotions in the book, after all, too could have been #instaposts."</span></p>