The advice column
A place to ask the questions you are carrying quietly. Submit anonymously and Jessica may respond with a general reflection here.
Send a question
Your question is anonymous. Please do not include identifying details or anything that requires urgent support.
From the column
Guilt does not always mean you have done something wrong. Sometimes it is simply the feeling that arrives when you do something new. Start with a small, clear boundary and let the discomfort be information—not an instruction to abandon yourself.
Try making room for the in-between instead of rushing to solve it. Change can feel disorienting because old ways of coping may no longer fit, while the new way is still taking shape. Curiosity is a gentle place to begin.
These responses are general educational reflections, not therapy or individualized clinical advice.