You Don’t Have to Look Sick for Your Pain to Be Real
Not every pain can be seen. With an illness, “you look so well” doesn’t tell the whole story. Why your feelings are real, and how to support each other.
Erza Salihu
11/5/2026 · 6 min read
Erza Salihu
Researcher
Erza Salihu is a researcher and author on the Mendje blog. She writes about sleep and wellbeing, grounded in scientific literature. Some of her articles are reviewed by a psychologist on Mendje; the reviewer is named on the article.
Where an article has been reviewed, the reviewer is named on the article.
Articles by Erza Salihu
How Much Do You Have to Do to Finally Feel Good About Yourself?
Why does no achievement ever feel like enough? How comparison and perfectionism tie our worth to productivity, and how to learn to say enough.
Erza Salihu
9/15/2026 · 7 min read
Why the Heart Doesn't Change Its Language: What Language Does Homesickness Speak?
Why does homesickness always slip out in your mother tongue? How language, memory and emotion connect for people who live between two worlds.
Erza Salihu
9/7/2026 · 4 min read
Sleep and Mental Health: The Connection We Often Underestimate
Sleep and mental health are more connected than we think. How sleep shapes mood, why sleeping well is hard, and small steps that actually help.
Erza Salihu
8/20/2026 · 6 min read