I usually go for the "ups and downs" with an adjective indicating what side of things I'm on, good or bad, and gauge people's response to that... then I'll go into an "Tired" with varying descriptive adjectives, and I'll keep gauging their facial/verbal response, and if they still seem genuine then I'll actually go for the paragraph...

It did take some time for me to learn to judge people's responses though, and I still get it wrong sometimes... on the bright side I don't usually talk to people I care about that much, and when I do, I don't feel like sharing, so it's easier to make the neutral response.