a Christmas Tree Thought Ruined My Workout
Some workouts end with sweat.
Others end with a single thought that quietly hijacks your entire nervous system.
This week’s story starts on a treadmill and ends with a Christmas tree — and everything that invisible detour reveals about ADHD, responsibility, and the exhausting effort of trying to “stay on task.” What looks like inconsistency from the outside is often emotional labor on overdrive inside the brain.
This piece isn’t about fitness.
It’s about how small thoughts reroute entire days, why intentions dissolve without laziness being involved, and how executive function collapses under emotional responsibility — especially for adults with ADHD or OCD.
If you’ve ever wondered why plans derail, workouts end early, or focus vanishes for reasons that don’t make sense… this one’s for you.
It’s honest. It’s human.
And yes — I stepped off the treadmill early, and I noticed.
Love in the Dark
Welcome to the grand finale of Haunted Hearts Week, where love meets its darker impulses and asks, “Was that chemistry—or a mild haunting?” In Love in the Dark, The Cynical Romantic trades rose petals for ghost stories, exploring the thin line between passion and obsession with the charm of someone who’s survived both. Expect wit, psychology, and just enough self-deprecation to make Freud proud. From emotional poltergeists to exorcising perfection, this isn’t a love story—it’s a survival guide for anyone who’s ever texted first and regretted it by dawn. Come for the laughs, stay for the therapy you didn’t book.