How not always being reachable can heal you

We live in a world that expects you to always be available.

Reply quickly.
Stay online.
Say yes.
Be there — even when your mind isn’t, even when your heart is tired.

But here’s a quiet truth:
you don’t have to be reachable all the time.
You’re allowed to disappear for a while — without guilt, without explanation.

Some of the most peaceful people I’ve known don’t answer every call.
They don’t reply right away.
They don’t show up for everything.

It’s not because they don’t care.
It’s because they’ve learned to care for themselves first.

Being unavailable is not a rejection of others.
It’s a return to yourself.
To your own rhythm.
Your own breath.

There’s a quiet beauty in not needing to explain where you are.
In sitting with your thoughts without interruption.
In letting people wonder for a while — and being okay with that.

You’re not rude for choosing silence.
You’re not selfish for turning your phone off.
You’re not cold for saying “not today.”

The world may label you as distant.
But distance isn’t always disconnection.
Sometimes, it’s how we recharge.
How we realign.
How we stay sane.

So go ahead —
Mute the noise.
Leave the group.
Let the message sit.
Let the world wait.

Because when you return,
you’ll return whole.

-From the pages of
The Inner Notebook