Unlearning My Emotional Habits

What could you do less of?

What could I do less of?

It’s a question that sounds simple, but the answers usually sit quietly in the corners of our lives, waiting for us to notice.

For me, the first answer is this: taking everything to heart. One harsh tone, one careless comment, one moment of rudeness—and suddenly there’s a storm inside me. My chest tightens, my thoughts spiral, and I replay the moment again and again like I’m responsible for everyone else’s cruelty.

But I’m learning something new, something difficult: I don’t have to absorb everything. Someone recently told me that if I keep internalising every hurtful thing, I’ll end up trapped in a loop of my own pain. And they were right. Letting people and situations be what they are is not weakness—it’s wisdom. This world tests us in quiet ways, and sometimes the bravest thing we can do is step back, breathe, and move on.

Maybe it hits harder because the one person who truly cared for my heart—the one who saw me, understood me, prioritised me—is no longer here. And now my sensitivity feels louder, like there’s no buffer between me and the world.

The second thing I could do less of?

Shopping my feelings away. One bad day and suddenly my cart looks like I’m stocking an entire vanity—clothes, makeup, skincare, all of it. Retail therapy feels good in the moment—comforting, distracting, almost like a friend. But eventually the packages arrive and half the things end up barely used, if at all. A temporary fix becomes permanent clutter.

Still, what can I say? I’m just a girl trying to soothe a sensitive soul the only way she knows how.

So yes, maybe I’m thin-skinned. Maybe I feel too much.

But recognising what I could do less of is the first step toward becoming someone stronger—not harder, just more at peace.

And honestly, that’s enough for now.

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