I’m so tired.

Not the kind of tired a good night’s sleep fixes – the kind that sits in the chest.

There’s a particular kind of exhaustion that comes from showing up fully for people who rarely – or never – meet you in the same way.
It’s a familiar pattern for many who grew up in survival mode: we pour into others out of habit, hope, or old wounds – even when we receive very little in return.

Call it complex trauma.
Call it old conditioning.
Call it codependency.
Whatever the label – I learned to earn the love I should’ve always had.

I learned to over-give to keep people close, even when they offered nothing back.

And God, it’s exhausting.

But here’s the shift I’m claiming now – I’m no longer giving beyond what is returned.
Not out of spite, but out of devotion to myself.

If someone offers half-energy, I’ll meet them there – not lower, not higher.

I’m letting people show me who they are and I’m responding in alignment, not fantasy.

This isn’t punishment.  This is self-respect.

This is nervous-system peace.

This is me loving myself enough to stop setting myself on fire to keep other people warm.

If you’re tired too – if you’re done carrying relationships that were never reciprocal –
You’re not dramatic.  You’re not “too much.”  You’re healing.

What boundary are you choosing for yourself now?
Tell me below.