How Often Do We Pass the Problem?

The other day, I needed to buy tickets for an event. Easy enough, right? Except the app wasn’t cooperating. After a couple of failed tries, I thought, I’ll just reach out to the person who sent me the link.

But then I stopped myself.

And I’m so glad I did.

I realized right in that moment that reaching out wouldn’t really serve any purpose other than to put my frustration in someone else’s lap. This person was busy, and I knew it. Yet the old me would have gone ahead and asked anyway, hoping they could just take care of it for me. Fix it. Make the problem go away.

Not because I couldn’t figure it out, but because it felt easier to hand it off.

That pause made me think about how many times in the past I’ve interrupted someone else’s day for something I could have solved myself. It’s a little like the “misery loves company” thing—when I’m frustrated or overwhelmed, I want to pull someone else into the moment with me. And yes, they’d probably help. But at what cost to their own time and focus?

The truth is, I don’t want to be that person who makes someone else’s already full day heavier. I don’t want to be the challenger in their day, the unexpected disruption that throws them off track or adds a layer of stress they didn’t need.

Here’s the thing: I am capable. So are you. Sometimes all it takes is a moment of patience, a deep breath, and the quiet confidence that says, I can figure this out.

That, my friends, is self-awareness.
It’s not just knowing how you feel—it’s noticing what you’re about to do, why you’re doing it, and who else it might affect.

Self-awareness grows in those quiet moments when we pause instead of react.
Choose patience when you can.
Handle what’s yours to handle.
And trust that caring for your own moments is a way of caring for others, too.