I Closed the Bathroom Door and Stayed There

Dear Delyara, I ran the bath, turned off the bright light, and stayed in the steam longer than was strictly necessary. No scrolling. No checking. No doing my usual trick of turning even private care into one more efficient multitasking station. I just stayed. That mattered. Because sometimes the real victory is not the bath itself but the refusal to let the whole outside world follow you into it through your phone, your thoughts, or your guilt. For half an hour, it was just water, warmth, and one body not serving anyone. That felt bigger than self-care. It felt like return.