And then I realize:
"That's it, stop. I need a reboot."
But not just lying face down in a pillow (although that sometimes helps),
but a real one, a conscious one, with self-care.
MY PERSONAL WAYS TO REBOOT
1. A cup of something hot + silence
Sometimes I just sit down in the kitchen, pour myself some mint tea or coffee with cinnamon
and... I'm silent. My phone is in airplane mode. The world can wait.
The warmth of the mug in my hands seems to bring me back to myself.
2. A walk without a goal
Just go out. No plan, no route, no pedometer.
Eyes look at houses, trees, faces.
And the brain, oddly enough, gradually turns off the background noise.
After an hour of such "wandering therapy" I'm almost human again!
3. Music and dancing in the kitchen
No deep meaning is needed. I turn on old hits, move as I want,
sing at the top of my lungs. Some would call it madness.
I call it: "back to joy".
4. Warm shower and self-care
Water washes away not only dust from the skin, but also worries.
And when I smear cream on my hands or put on a mask, it's like saying to myself:
"You are important. You deserve care. And you are a priority now."
And sometimes it helps... nothing
Sometimes the best way to reboot is to do nothing.
At all. Lie down. Look at the ceiling.
Give yourself the right to pause.
Not to be useful, interesting, productive. Just be.
And most importantly:
I stopped waiting for it to "let go by itself".
I'm learning to catch signals earlier.
And to reboot not when everything is already burning,
but when it's just... smoking slightly.
If you're reading this and feel that it's time for you to press "reset" - then it's not a coincidence. It's a sign.
Do at least something for yourself today - even if it's just a cup of tea and a switched off phone.
You don't have to be a machine. You are a human being. Alive. Feeling.
And you deserve care. Especially - from yourself.