What Isn’t Being Said?
Sometimes the most important conversation in a relationship is the one that never happens. We become so focused on the words being spoken that we overlook the silence surrounding everything else. We listen carefully to compliments, apologies, and promises, but we fail to notice the questions that never get answered, the concerns that are...
My Best Friend Told Everyone My Secret Except Me
MENACE BY TESSA PRESENTS DEAR TESSA BLOOD, BESTIES & BETRAYAL LETTER NO. 002 | LOYALTY IS COMPLICATED She trusted her best friend with something she wasn’t ready to tell anyone else. A few weeks later, she discovered that nearly everyone in their friend group already knew. Now the person she trusted most is...
Your Attention Is Valuable
Attention has become one of the world’s most valuable currencies. Companies compete for it. Social media is designed to capture it. Advertisements are built around keeping it. Even people, intentionally or not, often seek it. Yet while everyone seems to understand the value of your attention, very few people are taught how to...
Your Speakerphone Conversation Is Not a Community Event
MENACE BY TESSA PRESENTS PUBLIC NUISANCES PUBLIC NOTICE NO. 001 | STATUS: ON NOTICE An ongoing examination of unsolicited public conversations, aggressive speakerphone usage, and the alarming belief that complete strangers are interested in participating in somebody else’s personal business. 01. The Disturbance It...
Stop Measuring Your Worth Through Their Response Time
How long has it been since they texted back? If that question immediately creates a knot in your stomach, you’re not alone. For many people with attachment wounds, response times become emotional scorecards. Five minutes feels reassuring. Two hours feels uncomfortable. Twelve hours feels personal. Before long, your mood isn’t...
He Calls Me His Girl, Just Not in Public
MENACE BY TESSA PRESENTS DEAR TESSA LOVE, LIES & RED FLAGS LETTER NO. 001 | LOVE IS COMPLICATED He’s affectionate behind closed doors, calls her his girl, and talks about their future. There’s just one small problem: the moment other people show up, their relationship apparently ceases to exist. DEAR TESSA,...
This Isn’t New Information
Sometimes we hear something that feels like a revelation, but if we’re honest, it isn’t really new. It only feels new because we’re finally ready to accept it. We act as though we’ve just discovered some life-changing truth when, in reality, that truth has been quietly sitting in the background for months—or...
