Settle Down

Take a breath, fix your posture and let’s get one thing straight.

I’ve been sitting here trying to wrap this whole thing up – this journey, this spiral, this almost-dead, almost-woke rollercoaster of a life – and honestly? I don’t want to “recap” anything. This isn’t a season finale. There’s no voiceover. No neat little montage. I’m still in the damn story.

And truthfully, I don’t owe anyone a pretty bow on the wreckage I’ve crawled out of.

But if I had to leave you with something, it’s this:
Love yourself. No, not in a yoga-influencer, hashtag-blessed kind of way. I mean actually love yourself. Fiercely. Protectively. Like you’ve got receipts on everyone who ever tried to break you. Because let’s be clear – you’ve taken hit after hit. You’ve forgiven people who don’t even deserve to say your name, let alone be forgiven. And somehow you still thought you were the problem?

No, sugar. Not anymore.

You’ve been talked down to, walked all over and made to believe that your worst day defined you. It didn’t. What defines you is the fact that you kept going. Even when you were bleeding emotionally. Even when you were the one doing the damage. Even when you didn’t know who you were trying to save – you just knew it had to be someone.

That someone was you.

So now? You forgive yourself. Not because it’s easy. Not because everything’s fucking fine.
But because you deserve to stop carrying shit that isn’t yours anymore.

Your map got shredded somewhere between chaos and codependence. Your internal GPS had a full-blown meltdown. And yeah, you made some choices. Some loud, drunk, destructive, sometimes humiliating choices. But you made them with the brain and body and trauma you had at the time.

You survived what should’ve ended you.

You called your mother at 3am, slurring a truth you couldn’t even face sober:

“Mom, I know I say I drink to have fun… but no. I’m an alcoholic.”

And do you know what she did? She packed a damn suitcase.

That’s what love looks like. And guess what? You’re allowed to extend that same ride-or-die loyalty to yourself.

Settle down doesn’t mean “shut up.” It means settle into who you really are.

You are not weak because you broke. You’re not behind.
You’re healing. And it’s about time you stopped apologizing for the space you take up.

So sit tall. Unclench your jaw. And if someone doesn’t like who you’re becoming?

Tell them to settle the fuck down.