29/01/2026
You know that feeling when you finally sit down after a long dayโฆ
Youโve done so much.
Your to-do list is checked off.
๐๐ป๐ฑ ๐๐๐ถ๐น๐น, ๐๐ผ๐บ๐ฒ๐๐ต๐ถ๐ป๐ด ๐ณ๐ฒ๐ฒ๐น๐ ๐๐ป๐ณ๐ถ๐ป๐ถ๐๐ต๐ฒ๐ฑ.
That quiet pressure.
That sense that it wasnโt enough.
๐ฆ๐ผ ๐๐ต๐ฒ๐ฟ๐ฒ ๐ถ๐ ๐๐ต๐ถ๐ ๐ฐ๐ผ๐บ๐ถ๐ป๐ด ๐ณ๐ฟ๐ผ๐บ?
For many high achievers, this feeling has very little to do with today.
It comes from what we learned early on.
Many of us were praised for what we did, not for who we were.
Being helpful, productive, successful was rewarded.
Resting, playing, being still often did not count.
๐ข๐๐ฒ๐ฟ ๐๐ถ๐บ๐ฒ, ๐ฝ๐ฟ๐ผ๐ฑ๐๐ฐ๐๐ถ๐๐ถ๐๐ ๐ฏ๐ฒ๐ฐ๐ฎ๐บ๐ฒ ๐ฝ๐ฟ๐ผ๐ผ๐ณ ๐ผ๐ณ ๐๐ผ๐ฟ๐๐ต.
Busyness became safety.
So when you finally stop, your nervous system doesnโt relax.
It scans for danger.
Rest feels unfamiliar.
Stillness feels wrong.
Peace feels undeserved.
That pressure you feel at the end of the day is not a sign that you should do more.
Itโs a sign that your body has learned that doing equals being enough.
The shift is not about forcing rest.
Itโs about unlearning the belief that you need to earn your worth through productivity.
You are not lazy.
You are not broken.
Your nervous system just hasnโt learned yet that itโs safe to stop.
And that can change.
One gentle step at a time.
Iโm working somethings special: a place where you can relearn to find rest with no guilt.
Join the waiting list via the link in bio (What would it mean to manage stress differently and live your life more intentionally?)
With bravery and vulnerability,
Vassia Sarantopoulou
Head Psychologist - Founder of
AntiLoneliness and
Specialised in Recovering from Burnout & Healing the Wound
