i am slowly teaching myself that someone else's emergency is not my emergency. i've been running miles for people who couldn't even take a single step for me. i used to drop everything just to be there, even when i was tired, even when i was hurting, even when it cost me my peace. but now i'm learning that not every call deserves an answer, not every message deserves my energy, and not every problem is mine to fix. i'm learning to pause, to breathe, to ask myself if this is really my responsibility or if i'm just used to saving people who wouldn't even show up for me. i'm choosing myself now, and it feels new, but it also feels right.