I have a hamster. A completely ordinary one. Small, fluffy, sometimes a little aggressive, but overall a sweetheart. I got him completely by accident. It was difficult then, a lot of thoughts, stress, sleepless nights. I was going to the supermarket for milk and came out with a cage.

Funny, right?

He became my most silent and most useful companion. Because at some point I realized: when you clean the cage, pour out food, watch someone crumble a piece of apple - at that moment you can't think about anxiety. Or that someone didn't reply to a message. Or that you're "not enough of something."

The brain calms down when it's busy with something simple and alive.

There's something magical in the rhythms of nature. Even in such a small creature. A hamster doesn't demand anything, doesn't complain, doesn't create drama. It just lives nearby. And somehow it turns out that you become softer, calmer, lighter.

Now, when it gets hard for me, I turn off my phone and just sit next to his cage. I watch him rummage through the sawdust. And I understand: all you need in the moment is to return to something real. Even if it's just a tiny animal with cheeks stuffed with grain.