When Pressure Pretends to be Purpose

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Have you ever convinced yourself that you’re just being productive, when really you’re in panic mode?

It’s such a sneaky pattern. The mind says, I’m just focused, I’m just driven, but underneath, the body is screaming, please slow down.

And because the sensations of panic, racing heart, tunnel vision, urgency, can feel a lot like passion, it’s easy to mistake one for the other.

That’s what happened to me recently.

I woke up feeling stressed and immediately slipped into “fix it” mode. My thoughts went straight to what needed doing, what wasn’t working, what I had to prove.

It felt like purpose, like determination, but it was really my nervous system trying to find safety through control.

When we’re dysregulated, the body creates an illusion of urgency. It tells us we need to act right now to feel okay again. And because that rush of adrenaline feels productive, we call it motivation. But it’s not. It’s fear disguised as focus.

The difference between purpose and pressure isn’t always obvious, but you can start to tell by how your body feels.

Pressure contracts you, it’s tight, rushed, and restless.

Purpose expands you, it’s calm, steady, and open.

So now, when I notice that proving energy creeping in, I pause.

One hand on my heart, one on my belly.

I take a few slow breaths and ask myself:

Would I still want to do this if I already felt safe and enough?

That question always brings me back.

Because purpose doesn’t rush.

It meets you where you are.

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