The Breakdown That Wasn’t a Breakdown at All

A few years ago, I had a morning that felt like a slow-motion unraveling. I sat down to write, but the words kept coming out wrong. I kept transposing letters. My ADHD was buzzing like static in my mind. My patience was thin. Everything felt foggy and sharp at the same time. And because I am a two-time cancer survivor, an old fear flashed through me for a moment, the fear that something bigger might be wrong. But the truth was far simpler and far less dramatic. I had barely slept. I was dehydrated. I had skipped my morning protein. My nervous system was waving a red flag, not because I was breaking down, but because a few small support habits had quietly fallen apart.

That morning changed how I see overwhelm. It taught me that most emotional spirals are not “personality flaws,” or evidence that we are failing. They are signals that a few essential keystone habits have stopped supporting us. Once I strengthened my sleep, hydration, and balanced nourishment, my clarity returned. My dyslexic errors decreased. My ADHD softened. My tone became gentler. I felt like myself again. Life had not changed. But I had finally given my body what it needed to function well.

This is the part most people never see. We assume our stress comes from the big things, the arguments, the pressure, the long days, the emotional load we carry. But more often than not, it comes from the absence of a few simple, steadying habits that keep the nervous system grounded. When your foundation is strong, you respond differently. You communicate differently. You recover differently. A small habit truly can shift an entire day.

So here is the perspective I hope you will share.
Your emotional life does not improve when everything around you settles. It improves when you build the habits that keep you steady no matter what is happening around you. Tiny habits. Keystone habits. The ones that anchor your mood, your clarity, and your ability to stay connected. The ones that make life feel easier, not because the world calms down, but because you do.

🌿 Perspectives is a weekly reflection by Johnny Lascha, Relationship Coach at RelationshipVoice.com & Moderator of the Marriage Support Group. He helps deeply caring women who’ve lost their voice in their relationships find the clarity, confidence, and communication tools to feel heard, valued, and emotionally safe again. Learn more or schedule a free communication breakthrough session at RelationshipVoice.com.