Your self-protection will ensue from years of watching the same patterns play out and seeing people say one thing while doing the opposite. Only you can decide when you are over it all, preferring to invest your attention, time, and energy into worthy souls and goals. Eventually you realize your energy is finite and so valuable that you cannot risk draining it for just anything. You can burn the candle at both ends for only so long before your nervous system forces you to rest. Once you collapse, it can take years to recover. Not every event can be attended to. Not every problem can be solved. Not every circumstance demands your awareness. Not every person is deserving of your support. Solitude may need to become the default state while you cope with emotional and physical obligations that expect more of you than you can handle right now.