Hoor Fatima
To every young person in India who feels completely overwhelmed, lost, or just too tired from acting like everything is fine—this is for you.
Our world rushes ahead so fast. It asks for so much—good marks, perfect jobs, family expectations, social media smiles—and hardly gives us time to catch our breath. Stress feels normal now. Many of us hide our quiet struggles behind forced laughs and “I’m okay” replies. Deadlines pile up, comparisons hurt, and the need to look strong leaves no space to be real. This piece, inspired by a book close to my heart, is written for anyone who feels invisible right now. You’re not alone, and you were never supposed to stay stuck in just surviving.
I remember one evening when everything inside me finally stopped. Not a calm silence, but a heavy one—like after carrying a bag that’s way too heavy for too long. I sat alone, not crushed by one huge problem, but by a thousand little ones adding up. In that moment, it hit me hard: I can’t keep living like this. That wasn’t the end. It was the start of being honest with myself and slowly healing.
Healing doesn’t come with fireworks or quick fixes. It often starts small and feels scary: just breathing through the tough minutes, starting to trust yourself again, and figuring out what “thriving” really means for you. Some days, thriving is chasing big dreams. Other days, it’s simply getting out of bed and making chai. Both matter. Both count.
As Thich Nhat Hanh said, “Feelings come and go like clouds in a windy sky. Conscious breathing is my anchor.” When everything feels chaotic, come back to your breath. It’s always there, steady and free.
You weren’t born to be broken by pressure, swallowed by doubt, or rushed by what others expect. You were made to rise—stronger, clearer, and more solid than anything that tried to pull you down. What feels like the end is often the beginning of waking up.
The real power to change isn’t in the past or some perfect future. It’s right here, in this moment. The present isn’t just time slipping by—it’s your chance. A chance to choose kinder thoughts, take deeper breaths, and believe in yourself even a tiny bit more than yesterday. We wait for the “right time” or perfect conditions, but life is happening now. When you truly show up for today, things start to shift. You stop overthinking everything and start living. From that simple presence, clarity and real courage grow.
Making peace with your past is key too. You are not your mistakes. Your story doesn’t decide your value. Every scar teaches something. Every regret can turn into growth. Peace doesn’t mean erasing the hurt—it means refusing to let it run your life anymore. Healing starts when you stop battling what happened and start seeing how far you’ve already come.
Along this path, you find something beautiful: the safest place isn’t out there in approval or a pain-free life. It’s inside you. In your own breath, your quiet strength, and your choice to keep going. Becoming your own safe space isn’t weak—it’s coming home to yourself. And that changes everything.
Fear will still visit. It might whisper doubts or make your chest tight. But fear isn’t your true voice. It’s just an old echo. Real courage is feeling the fear and walking forward anyway. That’s your power.
There’s a moment when the weight you’re carrying becomes heavier than your fear of changing. In that moment, you rise—not because you’re fully ready, but because your heart finally says: I was never meant to stay broken under this. I was born to rise above it.
As Maya Angelou put it, “You may encounter many defeats, but you must not be defeated. In fact, it may be necessary to encounter the defeats, so you can know who you are, what you can rise from, how you can still come out of it.”
Breathe. Believe. Thrive.
You don’t need all the answers right now. You just need to be here, one gentle breath at a time.
And remember the words of Rumi: “The wound is the place where the Light enters you.” Your struggles aren’t the end—they’re where your strength begins to shine through. You’ve got this. Keep going.
