It’s not just me, right? Things have been tough these past few years. Through no particular effort of my own, I’ve picked up scary compounds like 気候変動 (kikō hendō, climate change), 景気後退 (keiki kōtai, economic recession) and 社会不安 (shakai fuan, social unrest). I keep seeing the word #弾道ミサイル (#dandō misairu, #ballistic missile) trending on Twitter. Also, there was about a month last year when you couldn’t get a large McDonald’s french fries for love or money.

Maybe you too are feeling less than 元気 (genki, spirited), or even a little frustrated. Grappling with 悩み事 (nayamigoto, worries), feeling へこたれている (hekotarete-iru, run down) or in a 複雑な心境 (fukuzatsuna shinkyō, complicated emotional state).

Sometimes it helps to talk to someone, so here are some terms (together with grammar points) you can use when someone asks, どうしたの？ (Dōshita no?, “What’s up?”)