Sometimes what wears you out isn’t life itself, but the pressure you put on yourself. You want to do things right, be present, stay productive, be useful, make progress, understand everything. And without noticing, you’re forcing every step. You’re trying to control something that doesn’t need that much control. What hurts isn’t the path, it’s the constant effort to live up to a demand that no one really asked of you.

When everything feels dark, it’s not always because something is wrong. Sometimes it’s just because you’re pushing beyond your limits. You don’t need to try that hard to feel okay. Sometimes you just need to stop, let go a little, and allow something to happen on its own. Go back to the basics, eat, sleep, talk to someone, do nothing. That’s also progress.