How to Keep Going Even While Shaking
[PERSONAL INFO]
NAME: Elena
AGE: 26
BASED IN BARCELONA, SPAIN
KEYWORDS: #transition #uncertainty #self-trust
[INTRO]
These days, Elena does not use the word “certainty” easily.
Instead, she pays attention to the moments when she feels unsteady,
and to the choices that make her hesitate.
She still has no clear direction, no fully formed plan, but she has decided not to rush.
She chooses to see her time in uncertainty not as an escape,
but as preparation, and practices understanding herself, slowly.
This interview is not the story of someone who has already defined herself,
but of someone who is still learning who she is
[Q&A.1]
Q. What emotion do you feel most often these days?
A. Lately, I feel anxiety and unfamiliarity the most.
The days that once felt familiar have started to feel slightly awkward.
I know I’ve been living well, but sometimes it feels like I’ve drifted a little off course.
There are moments when I want to stop for no reason,
or when I spend a long time overthinking small decisions.
In the past, I wanted to get rid of these feelings quickly.
Now, I try not to push them away.
I think they might be a sign that I need to look at myself more closely.
[Q&A.2]
Q. What decision have you struggled with the most recently?
A. It was choosing between a stable path and an uncertain one.
Many people around me recommended the safer option.
I thought they were right, too. But somewhere in my heart,
I kept looking in another direction.
I had no certainty, and I was afraid, but I couldn’t completely ignore it.
In the end, I decided to postpone the decision.
Instead, I chose to listen to myself more carefully.
Now, I feel that this process itself is necessary.
[Q&A.3]
Q. What question do you ask yourself most often?
A. “Is this really what I want?” Before, I lived mostly according to what I “should” do.
I did things because I had to, because everyone else was doing them.
But now, before I begin anything, I always ask myself this question.
I may not have perfect answers, but at least I try not to lie to myself.
[Q&A.4]
Q. Was there a moment that helped you understand yourself better?
A. There was a time when I didn’t want to do anything.
I had no motivation, no goals, and felt like everything had stopped.
That was when I realized for the first time: “I’m really exhausted.”
I had spent so long enduring, adjusting,
and holding on that I completely neglected my own condition.
Since then, I’ve tried not to ignore my feelings.
If I’m struggling, I admit it.
If I want to rest, I tell myself that it’s okay.
[Q&A.5]
Q. Is there anything you’d like to say to your current self?
A. “You don’t have to find the answer so quickly.”
I still feel anxious sometimes. It feels like everyone else is moving forward,
while I’m the only one falling behind.
In those moments, I think about my past self.
Even then, I managed to make it this far.
So I want to say to myself now:
“You’re doing well. More than enough.”
[EDITOR'S NOTE]
Elena’s story is closer to questions than to certainty.
Rather than searching for final answers,
she is learning how not to lose sight of her own heart.
She accepts the coexistence of anxiety and hope as part of growth,
and protects her own pace.
Choosing her evolving self over a “complete” version,
her way of moving forward —unsteady yet unbroken—
may be the process of learning, little by little,
how to trust herself.
