- Kept working
And then… it got worse.
Why?
Because the flare wasn’t asking me to adjust my screen.
It was asking me to adjust my life.
The Moment I Realized I Had to Stop
I remember sitting at my desk, eyes burning, text swimming.
And I heard my own thoughts say:
“Just finish this one thing.”
But that voice wasn’t strength—it was fear.
Fear of being seen as unreliable.
Fear of falling behind.
Fear of losing momentum.
That’s when I knew:
I wasn’t working out of purpose anymore. I was working out of panic.
And panic feeds cortisol.
And cortisol feeds CSR.
Redefining Strength: What It Looks Like Now
- Saying “not today” without guilt
- Canceling meetings when I feel my system tipping
- Honoring rest as a skill, not a failure
- Taking naps when needed, not earning them
- Leaving some projects unfinished—and surviving it
Now, strength is measured by resilience, not resistance.
By how well I listen, not how long I endure.
What You Can Try if You’re Stuck in the Push Loop
- Ask: “What would I do if my best friend had CSR?”
Would you tell them to work harder—or rest deeper? - Use stop cues:
- Screen blurs
- Eye tightness
- Emotional irritability
These aren’t inconveniences. They’re whispers from your body.
- Create buffer zones:
- 10-minute breaks every hour
- No calls after 6 PM
- A weekly “CSR day” for recalibration
- Celebrate stillness:
Stillness is not wasted time.
It’s when your eyes heal. Your nerves recalibrate. Your identity expands.
Bottom Line:
CSR doesn’t care about your deadlines.
It only cares about your nervous system.
And if you keep pushing through the warning signs, CSR will push back—harder.
You don’t have to earn your rest.
You just have to remember that sometimes, stopping is the strongest thing you can do.
