I sat in the car outside the supermarket because going in felt like one task too many

Dear Delyara, It was only a supermarket. I knew what I needed. Bread, yoghurt, dishwasher tablets, fruit. Nothing complicated. And yet I pulled into the parking space, turned the engine off, and just sat there staring at the automatic doors as if I needed to negotiate with myself before crossing through them. I think I was more tired than I had realised. Supermarkets are not only shopping when you are holding too much. They are decisions, prices, fluorescent lights, people moving too close, forgotten items, mental arithmetic, and the quiet shame of noticing how strongly all of that can affect your mood. After five minutes, I went in and did what needed doing. But I respected the pause this time. I didn’t bully myself for needing it. Some days the body asks for a small hallway between the car and the next demand. I am learning that giving it one is not laziness. It is intelligence.