Month: May 2026

When Friendship, Values, And Animal Ethics Stop Aligning

balanced rock stack near railway tracks outdoors

I used to think disappointment in friendships mostly came from obvious betrayal or conflict. But sometimes, the discomfort comes quietly. You slowly notice that someone you thought shared similar values actually operates very differently than you do. Not necessarily wrong. Just different in ways that create emotional friction. A friend became close to someone whose views about pedigree cats and sourcing I strongly disagreed with. Objectively, this should not have affected me that much. But internally, I kept circling around […]

Why Some People’s “Excited Sharing” Secretly Irritates Us

woman talking on the telephone

Recently, I realised I kept feeling oddly irritated whenever a friend excitedly shared her learning journey in a group chat. In this case, she had just started learning something I had learned few years back. She kept sharing discoveries, thoughts, and updates with enthusiasm. Objectively, nothing was wrong. But internally, I kept thinking:“Why does this feel so extra?” Then came the guilt:“Am I being mean?”“Am I jealous?”“Am I cold?” The deeper I analysed myself, the more uncomfortable I became. After […]

When Your Brain Keeps Running “What If” Scenarios Nonstop

Cluster of glowing question marks intertwined in a spherical shape

A late-night reflection with ChatGPT turned into this post because recently, I realised my brain has been constantly branching into “what if” scenarios. Not only for major life decisions. Even small things became mentally exhausting. Examples: Every situation seemed to split into multiple possible outcomes. And before I could even complete one task, my brain already started simulating: At one point, even resting felt difficult because my brain refused to stop anticipating. How This Usually Starts At first, anticipatory thinking […]