Sorting Myself Out (One Messy Step at a Time)
I got to this point where I couldn’t tell if I was tired, overwhelmed, or just numb from doing too much all the time. I had this tendency to push through everything, thinking I’d earn rest later, but “later” never came. What helped me shift was realizing that I never really stopped to ask myself why I was doing things—I just did them. A therapist once told me that I treat my own needs like optional extras, and that stuck with me. I started using an app to track how I was actually feeling and what I was avoiding, and I didn’t expect it to change much, but it helped more than I thought. There’s this post in the liven app reviews that talks about how it helps people stay grounded between therapy sessions, and that really lined up with my experience. I’m not in therapy right now, so it kind of fills that space of reflection for me. It helps when I’m spiraling or second-guessing everything. I’ve noticed I’m way better now at catching the old patterns—like the instant “I should be doing more” loop. It doesn’t always stop me, but at least I see it. And weirdly, that helps.