On the peace that comes with not taking things personally.

One of the biggest and most freeing lessons I’ve had to learn and relearn is this:

Not everything is about me.

It sounds obvious. Even silly. But if you’re human, you’ve probably taken things personally, too.

A short reply. A weird tone. A missed thank-you. A shift in someone’s behavior that leaves you wondering: What did I do? We stew. We spiral. We assume we’re the problem. Then, we start to carry the weight of things that were never ours.

There’s a particular heaviness that comes from making someone else’s behavior mean something about you. You over-function. You walk on eggshells. You try to fix what was never broken, at least not by you.

But it’s not about you.

Most of the time, people are reacting to things we can’t see. Their stress. Their wounds. Their fear. Their overwhelm. Their silence isn’t always judgment. Their sharpness isn’t always meant to cut. Their distance isn’t always personal.

And when you stop making it personal, something beautiful happens…

You feel free.

You stay grounded, move through life with more peace, and protect your energy instead of absorbing someone else’s. This doesn’t mean you tolerate disrespect. It doesn’t mean you don’t feel hurt. Empathy doesn’t mean taking on someone else’s pain as your own. It means showing up with compassion without losing yourself.

And hey, I still slip. I still overthink. But now, I catch myself sooner. I pause and I ask: Is this even mine? More often than not, the answer is no.

It is a continuous mental exercise, and the more I practice, the more peaceful life becomes.