Dose of Reality

Have you ever been hit by a sudden dose of reality?

One moment, you’re calm and content. Next, you’re questioning everything you’ve ever done. And then, just like that, the thought creeps in, what if you’re not enough?

It doesn’t just pass. It lingers, gnawing at the edges of your mind, a constant hum of doubt that won’t quiet down. You try to drown it out with work, with noise, with anything that keeps your brain too busy to spiral. Because as long as you’re occupied, you’re fine. But the moment your mind is free to wander, the dread crashes in, heavy and suffocating.

You tell yourself it’s just overthinking, just a phase, just exhaustion, but deep down, it feels like something more. Like a shadow that follows you, always just a step behind, waiting for a quiet moment to make itself known. And the worst part? No one else sees it. On the outside, you seem fine. Functional. Maybe even happy. But inside, it’s a constant war between who you are and who you think you should be.

So you keep going. You keep moving, hoping that if you run fast enough, the thoughts won’t catch up. That maybe, just maybe, one day they’ll disappear entirely.

But what if they don’t?