The Hidden Cost of Carrying Other People's Chaos - Part 1

Most of us never signed up for this job.

We were raised to “give till it hurts”… to be “good people.”
No one mentioned the fine print: protecting others was prized; protecting yourself was optional at best.

If you’re the one who:
• makes it better • carries the room • dissolves tension • finds the fix • keeps the peace…

You can admit it here:

You feel s t r e t c h e d.

You might feel:

• exhausted

• invisible

• resentful

• secretly furious that so much of your life force goes to grown people

Co-workers. Family. Friends. Clients.
People who simply drop their nervous systems onto you like you’re a service counter. And maybe they tell you how special you are to them at the end so they can keep your bandwidth within easy reach.

And you’re so good at making people feel better that you’ve wondered:
“Do I just need better routines? Stronger boundaries? Time management?”

Here’s what lands: you didn’t volunteer for this.
You were drafted into emotional labor by people who didn’t see who you are. They saw service.

There’s a specific exhaustion that comes from being the person who:

• anticipates emotional weather

• runs interference

• swallows needs in the name of harmony

• carries cohesion you never asked to hold

You never signed up to be the emotional janitor. You get drafted. Again and again.
You're so good at it that people assumed it was your identity. It wasn’t.

Because deep down — you know you were meant for something bigger than managing adults.

Not “slightly nicer self-care.”
Not “a calmer inbox.”
Something bigger, richer, more creatively powerful.

Next week, I’m going to send a short 5–10 minute video where I break down the architecture behind this pattern — in a way most people don’t approach it — so you can finally see what has been blocking the next, most satisfying, most rewarding part of your life.

Not to solve it.

Just to show you the structure.

Because once you see the structure —
you will never gaslight yourself again.

The best is still in front of you.

— Lori