A WhatsApp message came in. I opened it. Closed it. Opened it again. I typed a reply. Deleted it. Rewrote it with a softer tone. Added context so I wouldn’t be misunderstood. Took the context out in case it sounded defensive. Then I read it as if I were them and imagined their reply; not the generous one, the likely one.Then I imagined my response to that reply. Then I read the whole thing out loud to a friend. Asked for their take. Listened to their feedback and debated over that 😳 Still I wasn’t sure. That’s when I noticed the familiar tightening; the moment a WhatsApp message stops being a message and turns into a full-body negotiation. The pull to send it wasn’t because I wanted to say something but it was because I didn’t want to be inconvenient. And truly a part of me believed that if they really understood my context, their view of me might change. Which is a an all consuming rabbit hole…trying to get someone else to see you in a particular light by offering just a little more explanation, a little more framing, a little more of me. So I paused (Mostly out of exhaustion 😓) just long enough to step out of the rehearsal. I didn’t send it. But I did sit with the feelings and the internal fight!! So the pause counts 💃🏽 Okay, who relates?

I struggle with these because they feel like committing to an entire list and then losing momentum and feeling awful. I prefer to choose an emotion to lead with and then see how that changes the list of things i am aspiring to. Soooooooooo this year, whats the first emotion you are choosing to embrace?

Shower? No• Phone calls? No• Being a functioning adult? Also no 🙄 What’s your “no” list? And which body part is screaming it?

Let’s be real for a second:Sometimes life gets so absurd that the only thing between you and a full emotional collapse… is a badly-timed laugh. In here, humour isn’t denial. It's not dismissal. It's your nervous system whispering,“Hey… we’re okay. Breathe.” Why humour helps: 🌀 It interrupts spirals 💨 It gives you a tiny exhale 🧠 It pulls your brain out of threat and into something softer 🤝 It creates connection between us 💛 It reminds you that whatever you’re carrying — you’re not carrying it alone How to use humour safely here: ✔ Laugh with yourself, not at each other ✔ Share the messy, dramatic, wildly relatable thoughts we all have ✔ Keep it human, light, and kind ✔ No cruelty, no shaming, no “punching down” ✔ Let the ridiculousness bring relief — not harm This is a space where we take healing seriously…but absolutely refuse to take ourselves too seriously😉 Bring your humour. Bring your humanity. Bring the inner monologue you’d never say out loud anywhere else. It all belongs here.

I hesitated to share these thoughts here.. I always want to be positive and share something happy or refreshing or interesting to think about. But today I am in real pain.. a migraine episode that is happening for the 2nd time this week.. severe pain and foggy brain and sensitivity to lights and sounds. So after I picked up my girl from school, she asks me as usual if I took care of her toys or not ! I always nod my head and make up stories about the things her toys did and how I dealt with them and we laugh! Today I told her that I was very sick and couldn't even take care of my self. And then she instantly asked: but if you are sick, who is going to make me my rice and chicken soup I like ? It was an innocent question from an innocent mind, but I felt sorry for myself. All I wanted at that moment is a long hug , and maybe I would feel better after. I cried for a minute, and then took an ibuprofen pill and hurried to the kitchen to make chicken soup. 🍲 And at this moment, I found my daughter coming with a wet napkin to put over my head, and this is what she was planning from the beginning but actually she didn't have a napkin. So, we actually didn't run out of hummus, but instead ran out of napkins