The Glitch

When your brain mistakes rumination for responsibility

Sometimes the mind isn't broken. It's simply following a current that forgot to keep moving.

I know exactly when it’s happening.

That’s what makes it so frustrating.

I can see the loop.

The thought.

The worry.

The story my mind has decided needs one more lap.

And then another.

Sometimes it’s money.

A decision.

A future that hasn’t happened yet.

A problem that may never happen at all.

There are no fires.

But I’m still scanning for smoke.

It shows up disguised as preparation.

As responsibility.

As vigilance.

The voice whispers:

Just checking.

Just thinking ahead.

Just making sure.

Meanwhile, I’ve been circling the same thought for forty-five minutes.

The glitch isn’t dramatic.

It’s repetitive.

A browser tab refreshing itself.

A smoke detector chirping in an empty room.

And the most frustrating part is that awareness doesn’t automatically stop it.

I can see the loop.

Name the loop.

Even write about the loop.

And still be standing inside it.

As if recognition and release are two entirely different skills.

The glitch isn’t trying to hurt me.

If anything, it’s trying to help.

It just doesn’t always know when its shift is over.

Some days that’s useful.

Other days it’s exhausting.

Some thoughts deserve our attention.

Others simply deserve to leave.

All content and concepts ©Meggen Harris. No reproduction without permission.