Sometimes your feelings are complicated. An honest answer to “Are you annoying me” could be “Very slightly, but not enough that I think you should stop doing what you’re doing” or “I hadn’t noticed it until you brought it to my attention, but now I’m having trouble ignoring it again” or “Being asked that question is more annoying than anything else you’ve been doing; if something gets bad enough that I want you to stop it, I’ll tell you.”
Yes. Those are very good examples of the sort of thing that would, in most cases, bring some comfort to my brain and an awkward, self-conscious smile to my face, because I had been being ‘silly’. They give me a look into someone else’s perspective that sounds believable and real to me in a way that “no, everything’s fine” doesn’t.
Sometimes your feelings are complicated. An honest answer to “Are you annoying me” could be “Very slightly, but not enough that I think you should stop doing what you’re doing” or “I hadn’t noticed it until you brought it to my attention, but now I’m having trouble ignoring it again” or “Being asked that question is more annoying than anything else you’ve been doing; if something gets bad enough that I want you to stop it, I’ll tell you.”
Yes. Those are very good examples of the sort of thing that would, in most cases, bring some comfort to my brain and an awkward, self-conscious smile to my face, because I had been being ‘silly’. They give me a look into someone else’s perspective that sounds believable and real to me in a way that “no, everything’s fine” doesn’t.