Birthdays are supposed to be magical right? A celebration of your life, your people, your progress. But behind the candles and captions, there’s often a mess of pressure, anxiety, and unmet expectations. This episode dives into the complicated emotional terrain of birthdays why they can trigger stress, disappointment, and even sadness instead of joy. We unpack the cultural chaos that surrounds the day, from childhood party trauma to adult milestone dread, and explore how social media, performance culture, and comparison games make birthdays feel more like emotional audits than celebrations.

With a mix of honest storytelling and cultural reflection, we ask the big questions: Why do birthdays make us feel like we’re being graded? Why is it so hard to feel genuinely celebrated? And how can we reclaim this day as something meaningful, without the pressure to be perfect?

Whether you’ve always loved your birthday, always hated it, or find yourself somewhere in between, this episode is for you. Because underneath the glitter and the group texts, there's a very human story about needing to be seen and trying to make sense of another year around the sun.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.