I'm fine

"I'm fine."  It is a phase I say a lot. 

What does it mean? 

It means that I don't want to share my true feelings. It means I am protecting you from my thoughts which I am certain you will find distressing.  It means I am giving you permission to not be concerned about me. I said I'm fine so we can move on to other topics of conversation, something neutral like the weather.  It means I'm feeling overwhelmed, my anxiety has been triggered and I need to shut down and reset. It means please don't push me any further or I might crumble. 

I'm fine. Let's just move on.