Coffee shop panic moment taught me something about panic itself

I was at a cafe in Austin last Tuesday, 48 hours before a big final edit was due. The client sent a message changing the delivery window from Friday to Wednesday morning. I started spiraling, typing out a huge apology email about how I couldn't do it. Then this older woman at the next table just looked over and said "breathe, kid, it's just words on a screen." She wasn't even talking to me directly, she was on the phone. But it hit me how much I blow up small deadlines into life-or-death stuff. Has anyone else had a random stranger's comment totally reframe a work freakout?

3 comments

3 Comments

webb.hannah2d ago

Pushing back feels dismissive of a real moment.

sean481d ago

@webb.hannah pushing back isn't always dismissive though. Sometimes it's just another way of engaging with what someone said.

zaranelson1d ago

Honestly, is there anything more humbling than a random person calling you out without even trying? That woman was just living her life and accidentally dropped a wisdom bomb on you. I love how the universe sends a chill stranger to remind us we're not the main character in everyone else's movie. It's wild how a simple phrase can snap you right out of the spiral. Ngl, I'd probably frame that moment if it happened to me.