I’m embarrassed by how much some ordinary things still unsettle me

Dear Delyara, A rude tone. A delayed answer. A low balance. A school message at the wrong time. A difficult family call. A room with the wrong atmosphere. These are not unusual aspects of adult life, and yet I can still feel disproportionately shaken by them on certain days. That’s where shame gets in. Not only because I’m unsettled. Because I think I should be sturdier by now. But “by now” is such a cruel phrase. It ignores history, sensitivity, burnout, the cumulative wear of carrying too much for too long. It turns humanity into failure through comparison with an imaginary stronger self. I am tired of measuring myself against that myth.