--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: In short? It is exhausting being me…" description: "\"In short? It is exhausting being me. Pretending to be normal is draining and requires amazing amounts of energy and Xanax.\" — Jenny Lawson" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/81d/jenny-lawson-3391_being-me_in-short-it-is-exhausting-being-me-prete_2757140.png" --- # In short? It is exhausting being me. Pretending to be… ![“In short? It is exhausting being me. Pretending to be normal is draining and requires amazing amounts of energy and Xanax.” quote by Jenny Lawson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/81d/jenny-lawson-3391_being-me_in-short-it-is-exhausting-being-me-prete_2757140.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/81d/jenny-lawson-3391_being-me_in-short-it-is-exhausting-being-me-prete_2757140.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/81d/jenny-lawson-3391_being-me_in-short-it-is-exhausting-being-me-prete_2757140.png) > “In short? It is exhausting being me. Pretending to be normal is draining and requires amazing amounts of energy and Xanax.” [Jenny Lawson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jenny-lawson/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The author describes the exhausting effort of masking true self to appear normal, requiring medication and energy. **In simple terms:** Pretending to be normal is draining and needs medication. Key Takeaway Accept authentic self, reduce pretense. Themes self‑acceptance mental health exhaustion authenticity societal pressure Mood exhausted reflective hopeful Type personal confessional advocacy When to use this quote - workplace - social gatherings - online interactions - family events Key Concepts depression anxiety self‑image social conformity Questions to Reflect On - What coping strategies help reduce the need to mask? - How can society better support neurodiverse people? A Different Perspective The statement may generalize personal experience to all neurodiverse individuals. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Being me](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/being-me/) [Energy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/energy/) [Energy Xanax](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/energy-xanax-3143454/) [Exhausting](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/exhausting/) [Exhausting Pretending](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/exhausting-pretending-3143453/) [Normal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/normal/) [Pretending](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/pretending/) [Pretending Normal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/pretending-normal-975188/) [Xanax](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/xanax/) ## Related quotes > [I'm talkin' about you. Stop pretending you're normal. You're insane. Make that work for you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jennifer-crusie/i-m-talkin-about-you-stop-pretending-you-re-normal-you-re-insane-make/) [Jennifer Crusie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jennifer-crusie/) > [Everybody wants to lie to himself, pretending that there's something else besides only the normal life you're living in.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gaspar-noe/everybody-wants-to-lie-to-himself-pretending-that-there-s-something/) [Gaspar Noe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gaspar-noe/) > [“Pretending to be a normal, functioning member of society is exhausting stuff.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lia-riley/pretending-to-be-a-normal-functioning-member-of-society-is-exhausting/) [Lia Riley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lia-riley/) > [I've been pretending to be normal for so much of my life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kathryn-hahn/i-ve-been-pretending-to-be-normal-for-so-much-of-my-life/) [Kathryn Hahn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kathryn-hahn/) > [Pretending to be 'normal' is a lot harder than you think.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sue-grafton/pretending-to-be-normal-is-a-lot-harder-than-you-think/) [Sue Grafton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sue-grafton/) > [“We’re only pretending everything is normal because we don’t know what else to do.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/naomi-alderman/we-re-only-pretending-everything-is-normal-because-we-don-t-know-what/) [Naomi Alderman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/naomi-alderman/) > [Stop pretending to be normal and just be yourself](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dj-ice-kool-aid/stop-pretending-to-be-normal-and-just-be-yourself/) [Dj Ice Kool-aid](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dj-ice-kool-aid/) > [I think a bit of mystery is good, and I used to feel like an eccentric person pretending to be normal. But I am…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aldous-harding/i-think-a-bit-of-mystery-is-good-and-i-used-to-feel-like-an-eccentric/) [Aldous Harding](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aldous-harding/) > [“Pretending to be normal made life so difficult.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daryl-gregory/pretending-to-be-normal-made-life-so-difficult/) [Daryl Gregory](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daryl-gregory/) > [“There really is no sense in pretending to be normal. Just be you because the moment you do, weirder things happen. Crazy comes back…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shannon-l-alder/there-really-is-no-sense-in-pretending-to-be-normal-just-be-you/) [Shannon L. Alder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shannon-l-alder/) > [“No one is normal. Everyone is just pretending to be normal.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alessandra-torre/no-one-is-normal-everyone-is-just-pretending-to-be-normal/) [Alessandra Torre](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alessandra-torre/) > [“Friends advised me on the power of Xanax and raved about their amazing therapists. Doctors told me they’d never prescribed so many antidepressants in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hillary-rodham-clinton/friends-advised-me-on-the-power-of-xanax-and-raved-about-their/) [Hillary Rodham Clinton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hillary-rodham-clinton/) > [I slipped myself some pink Xannies/And danced around the house in all-over print panties.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tyler-the-creator-2/i-slipped-myself-some-pink-xannies-and-danced-around-the-house-in-all/) [Tyler, The Creator](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tyler-the-creator-2/) > [Happiness in a tablet. This is our world. Prozac. Daxil. Xanax. Billions are spent to advertise such drugs. And billions are spent purchasing them.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mitch-albom/happiness-in-a-tablet-this-is-our-world-prozac-daxil-xanax-billions/) [Mitch Albom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mitch-albom/) > [I just like the idea of pills. I like to collect them but not actually take them. When I fell off my horse, I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/madonna-ciccone/i-just-like-the-idea-of-pills-i-like-to-collect-them-but-not-actually/) [Madonna Ciccone](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/madonna-ciccone/) ## More by Jenny Lawson > [the most terribly human moments - the ones we want to pretend never happened - are the very moments that make us who we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jenny-lawson/the-most-terribly-human-moments-the-ones-we-want-to-pretend-never/) [Jenny Lawson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jenny-lawson/) > [“I MADE MY CATS A WATER BED OUT OF A ZIPLOC BAG AND A SHOEBOX. THEY POPPED IT WITH THEIR CLAWS AND THEY ALMOST…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jenny-lawson/i-made-my-cats-a-water-bed-out-of-a-ziploc-bag-and-a-shoebox-they/) [Jenny Lawson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jenny-lawson/) > [“Everything in this book is mostly true but some details have been changed to protect the guilty. I know it’s usually about “protecting the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jenny-lawson/everything-in-this-book-is-mostly-true-but-some-details-have-been/) [Jenny Lawson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jenny-lawson/) > [Have you ever been homesick for someplace that doesn't actually exist anymore? 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I'm no good with confrontation, so whenever I say, "Have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jenny-lawson/there-s-a-very-mean-girl-down-the-hall-who-s-trying-to-get-me-fired-i/) [Jenny Lawson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jenny-lawson/) > [“Then a man onstage quoted Sam Houston, saying, “Texas can make it without the United States, BUT THE UNITED STATES CANNOT MAKE IT WITHOUT…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jenny-lawson/then-a-man-onstage-quoted-sam-houston-saying-texas-can-make-it/) [Jenny Lawson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jenny-lawson/) > [Some people we define as trolls are just critics. Sometimes they have a point. And I hear them. But for the ones who comment…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jenny-lawson/some-people-we-define-as-trolls-are-just-critics-sometimes-they-have/) [Jenny Lawson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jenny-lawson/) > [“By my tenth glass of wine I started to wonder whether there was something wrong with my palate. Everyone else was marking the wine…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jenny-lawson/by-my-tenth-glass-of-wine-i-started-to-wonder-whether-there-was/) [Jenny Lawson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jenny-lawson/) > [It's interesting with my blog, because it feels to me less like a blog and more like a forum, because my readers are so…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jenny-lawson/it-s-interesting-with-my-blog-because-it-feels-to-me-less-like-a-blog/) [Jenny Lawson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jenny-lawson/) > [“Hey, Grandlibby?” I asked. “What’s a ‘turn-on’?” She paled visibly, looking mildly ill. “Well,” she said…struggling for words, “it’s…um…the things that make you happy,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jenny-lawson/hey-grandlibby-i-asked-what-s-a-turn-on-she-paled-visibly-looking/) [Jenny Lawson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jenny-lawson/) > [“It would be hard to believe that a man had invented walls when most of them couldn’t even be bothered to close the bathroom…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jenny-lawson/it-would-be-hard-to-believe-that-a-man-had-invented-walls-when-most/) [Jenny Lawson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jenny-lawson/) > [A friend is someone who knows where all your bodies are buried. Because they're the ones who helped you put them there." And sometimes,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jenny-lawson/a-friend-is-someone-who-knows-where-all-your-bodies-are-buried/) [Jenny Lawson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jenny-lawson/) [Explore all 132 Jenny Lawson quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jenny-lawson/) ## More Being me quotes > [Today I will do my best.If I have a good day,i will be pruod of myself.If I have a bad day,I will not dwell…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nix-mae/today-i-will-do-my-best-if-i-have-a-good-day-i-will-be-pruod-of/) [Nix Mae](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nix-mae/) > [Most women would not be happy being me. People say, 'But you're alone.' But I don't feel alone. I feel very un-alone.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stevie-nicks/most-women-would-not-be-happy-being-me-people-say-but-you-re-alone/) [Stevie Nicks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stevie-nicks/) > [My dream project is a sports film, because I love writing emotional music and a sports film is one of the few places you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeff-cardoni/my-dream-project-is-a-sports-film-because-i-love-writing-emotional/) [Jeff Cardoni](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeff-cardoni/) > [Idk Just a random picture(:](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emily-sturges/idk-just-a-random-picture/) [Emily Sturges](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emily-sturges/) > [“I can overcome any hurdle when I am in my vibrational essence!”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/debbie-a-anderson/i-can-overcome-any-hurdle-when-i-am-in-my-vibrational-essence/) [Debbie A. Anderson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/debbie-a-anderson/) > [Well-being is possible to the degree to which one has overcome one's narcissism; to the degree to which one is open, responsive, sensitive, awake,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erich-fromm/well-being-is-possible-to-the-degree-to-which-one-has-overcome-one-s/) [Erich Fromm](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erich-fromm/) > [There has never been a boy painter, nor can there be. The art requires a long apprenticeship, being mechanical, as well as intellectual.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-constable/there-has-never-been-a-boy-painter-nor-can-there-be-the-art-requires/) [John Constable](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-constable/) > [At the start of the second decade of the 21st century, young people all over the world are demonstrating against a variety of issues…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-giroux/at-the-start-of-the-second-decade-of-the-21st-century-young-people/) [Henry Giroux](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-giroux/) > [The State Department is infested with communists. I have here in my hand a list of 205—a list of names that were made known…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-mccarthy/the-state-department-is-infested-with-communists-i-have-here-in-my/) [Joseph McCarthy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-mccarthy/) > [I think men spend so much time passing for being men. There's a sense among many writers of color that the most invisible figure…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/junot-diaz/i-think-men-spend-so-much-time-passing-for-being-men-there-s-a-sense/) [Junot Diaz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/junot-diaz/) > [My feeling is that, and I've been writing about my family over the years, although it might make them feel uncomfortable, people generally like…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/loudon-wainwright-iii/my-feeling-is-that-and-i-ve-been-writing-about-my-family-over-the/) [Loudon Wainwright III](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/loudon-wainwright-iii/) > [I love being me. I know that I was created the image of God. Comfortable with the comforter!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/i-love-being-me-i-know-that-i-was-created-the-image-of-god/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Ruth hadn't talked to my sister since before my death, and then it was only to excuse herself in the hallway at school. But…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-sebold/ruth-hadn-t-talked-to-my-sister-since-before-my-death-and-then-it-was/) [Alice Sebold](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-sebold/) > [I just feel like sometimes I'm a force to be dealt with. My talents are sometimes overused and also sometimes underused. It's not easy…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ben-affleck/i-just-feel-like-sometimes-i-m-a-force-to-be-dealt-with-my-talents/) [Ben Affleck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ben-affleck/) > [This is how many messages I get liam... but I ignore them. We both know there are millions of boys/girls in this world but…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nylle/this-is-how-many-messages-i-get-liam-but-i-ignore-them-we-both-know/) [Nylle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nylle/) [Browse all 348 Being me quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/being-me/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "In short? It is exhausting being me. 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