When you don’t say it out loud — but you still want them to feel it.
You’re irritated.
Hurt.
Disappointed.
But instead of naming it,
you shift your tone.
You close the door harder than usual.
You drop the “fine.”
You say “nothing’s wrong.”
And you hope they notice…
because you’re not ready to say it.
Passive aggression is often a learned survival skill.
It protects you from confrontation.
From rejection.
From vulnerability.
You want to be heard —
but not exposed.
You want to be acknowledged —
without needing to ask for it.
But here’s the thing:
When you weaponize silence,
when you lace your kindness with tension,
when you hint instead of speak —
you don’t get closer.
You just get resentful.
And no one gets the clarity they need — including you.
Ask yourself:
- What would I say if I trusted it was safe to be direct?
- What am I avoiding by dropping clues instead of truth?
- What’s the cost of staying polite but unclear?
This is the Cushy way.
Communication with courage.
Honesty that holds its shape.
Soft truth, spoken directly.
You don’t have to explode.
But you don’t have to stay silent, either.
Say it.
Gently. Clearly. Fully.
