The strongest people still need tending

"You aren't a loser for neglecting yourself for two weeks. Hey, it happens." That phrase—"it happens"—is exactly the one we forget to repeat to ourselves. Instead, we gaslight ourselves into thinking the slump is permanent, when really all we need is a reframe. But reframing feels lame when you've objectively been messing up: you told someone you'd go to a party, then played Minecraft for three hours and faded them. Your friends are asking what's going on. You aren't excited about the things that matter. What is there to reframe? The more you tell yourself you're messing up, the bigger the hole you dig. And just like in Minecraft, you never dig straight down.

The routine of despair