Okay, so I just need to get this out there, you know? Like, it’s 2 AM and I’m just staring at my ceiling and this thing has been on my mind for WEEKS. Months, even, probably. And I just... I can’t tell anyone in real life, obviously. So, here goes. Basically, I’m a research scientist, right? And like, I’ve been working on this BIG project, something really cool, breakthrough stuff, and it was going to be presented at this HUGE international conference. Like, THE conference for our field. And I was supposed to be the one presenting it, you know? Like, my name was on the abstract, I did all the heavy lifting, the late nights, the experiments failing a million times before they worked. This was my moment. This was the thing everyone was going to see and be like, "WHOA, SHE DID THAT." And I was SO excited, like, buzzing with it. I could practically feel the career ladder getting an extra rung just for me. But then, the closer it got, the worse I started feeling. Not physically sick, not really. But like, this little tickle in my throat just would NOT go away. And it wasn't a cold, I tested, it was nothing. But every time I thought about standing on that stage, in front of all those people, talking about my work, the tickle would get worse. And I’d start clearing my throat, and then I’d cough, just a little cough. And it just escalated, you know? To the point where I was, like, having full-on coughing fits just thinking about the presentation. It was crazy. My throat felt like sandpaper and there was absolutely nothing physically wrong with it. My doctor was like, "You're fine," and I was like, "NO, I AM NOT." So, I ended up telling my supervisor I had this really bad cough, like, "super contagious, don't want to get anyone sick," and that I probably shouldn't present. And he was all, "Oh, no, what a shame, this was your big chance!" But he also, like, kinda instantly suggested my junior colleague, Alex, take over. And Alex, bless his heart, was like, "Oh my gosh, really? I'd be honored!" Like, so genuinely happy. And I just... I let it happen. I just sat there, listening to them talk about *my* work, *my* presentation, and how Alex was going to deliver it. And the cough just *vanished*. Seriously. Like, poof. Gone. The SECOND Alex said yes. And now Alex is at the conference, probably like, wowing everyone, getting all the credit, and I'm here, you know? Just... doing my regular lab work. And I feel like such a fraud. Like, what kind of person does that? Throws away their big moment because of a fake cough? A psychosomatic cough, I guess they call it. Like, my own brain sabotaged me. And the weird thing is, there's this weird relief mixed with the total shame. Like, I’m kicking myself but also, a tiny part of me is just like, "Phew." But it’s also SO messed up. Does anyone else... has anyone else ever done something like this? Like, totally choked under pressure and made up some excuse just to get out of it? Or am I just, like, uniquely messed up? It's just eating at me.