I still ignore symptoms longer when I am the one everyone relies on

Dear Delyara, That is not noble. It is just true. When I am the one holding the schedule together, driving the children, keeping work moving, managing the bills, remembering the appointments, and absorbing the practical overflow of family life, my own body gets demoted very quickly. Symptoms become inconveniences to negotiate with rather than information to respect. It’s easier to say “I’ll deal with it later” when later always sounds more spacious than now. But later rarely arrives in the form I imagine. Life stays crowded, and the body waits longer than it should. I’m trying to change that. But I can still feel how deeply the old training runs: keep going, keep useful, deal with yourself when everyone else is settled.