I'm So Used To Getting On With Things — I Don't Even Notice What I Need Anymore
- Jen Glover
- Jul 2
- 2 min read
Updated: Jul 4
Most of the time, you just get on with things.
If something needs doing, you do it.
If someone needs you, you show up.
If life gets busy, you find a way through.
And for a long time, that can seem like it's working.
Until one day, something small feels like too much.
A question.
A request.
A change of plan.
Something you would normally handle without thinking twice.
And suddenly you feel irritated.
Overwhelmed.
Exhausted.
Or close to tears.
And afterwards, you're left wondering:
"Where did that come from?"
Because it doesn't seem to match the moment.
But sometimes it doesn't come from the moment.
Sometimes it comes from everything that came before it.
The tiredness you didn't notice.
The pressure you kept pushing through.
The things you kept saying yes to.
The things you kept meaning to come back to when there was more time.
Not because you were doing anything wrong.
And not because you should have seen it coming.
Sometimes we become so used to getting on with things that we stop noticing what those things are taking out of us along the way.
We tell ourselves we're fine.
That we'll rest later.
That we'll think about it tomorrow.
That we just need to get through this week.
And then the next.
And then the one after that.
.
Not because we're trying to ignore it.
Just because something else always feels like it needs doing first.
Until eventually something makes us stop.
Not always all at once.
Sometimes it's simply the realisation that things feel harder than they used to.
That you're more tired than you thought.
Closer to your limit than you realised.
Or that you've spent so long responding to what life asks of you that you've stopped noticing your own experience altogether.
And when that happens, it's easy to feel guilty.
To wonder why you're struggling.
To think you should be coping better.
But sometimes the question isn't:
"Why am I struggling so much?"
Sometimes the question is:
"How long have I been getting on with things without noticing what it was taking out of me?"
🗒️ If this felt familiar, you might like to read:
This wasn’t written to give you all the answers.
Just a place to pause and recognise something that may feel familiar.
🧭 If you’d like to explore a little further, you can.
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