Here's the question of the day... At least once per day she asks a variation of, "How are you doing today?" "How are you?" etc. These aren't generic small talk questions; she's doing a temperature check.
What's the best way(s) to respond while maintaining my AS-IF mentality? I don't want to give her the brush-off, but I don't want to seem down either. Thoughts?
That's actually good, she's initiating communication with you. This would be a great opportunity to touch on things that happened to you that day and then ask her how her day went. Even though she may be expecting a "good, bad, happy, sad" answer from you, don't go there. Just use it to create expanded dialog. Say things like "it was a great day, I've been working on a project and finally got it finished, so that was a relief. How did things go for you?" The goal is to try and get her to feel comfortable talking to you. When she talks, listen intently. Don't be distracted. Make eye contact. Lean forward. Nod. Ask a question here and there. Validate any emotions she talks about, "wow, that sounds frustrating. I'm sorry to hear you're going through that." Make it about her as much as you can.
