The alarm goes off at 6:30, but you’re already awake — not because you’re rested, but because your mind has been buzzing since before dawn. There’s a tightness in your chest that settles in before your feet even touch the floor. Your first thought isn’t “Time to start the day” — it’s, “I can’t do this.”
You lie there a little longer, scrolling through your phone, hoping for distraction but finding only more reasons to feel overwhelmed: messages you don’t have the energy to answer, headlines you don’t want to read, perfect pictures of people who seem to have their lives together. What’s wrong with me?
Eventually, guilt wins over exhaustion. The kids need you. Work expects you. You move through your routine mechanically — brushing your teeth, avoiding your own reflection because you can’t face your eyes today.
