Why We Should All Carry a Little Less Guilt and a Little More Lip Balm

(Notes from a person who regularly loses their mind but never loses their ability to overthink)

If emotions came with packaging, guilt would be the jumbo pack — oversized, overpriced, and permanently in the shopping cart of life.

We feel guilty for eating too much.
Then guilty for eating too little.
Guilty for wanting a day off.
Guilty for wanting the entire week off.
Guilty for saying no.
And occasionally guilty for not saying no sooner.

Meanwhile, lip balm - that tiny, hopeful cylinder (been my favourite word for a while, I know & if you know the reference...hey nice to see you hope you're doing well !), keeps disappearing into the Bermuda Triangle inside our pockets and backpacks. It melts into forgotten corners and then resurfaces like a waxy ghost months later.

Here’s a mischievous thought:
What if we replaced a portion of our guilt inventory with lip balm instead?

Guilt sticks to us like that one phone notification we forget to clear but somehow always see. Lip balm, on the other hand, brings instant comfort without demanding a five-step redemption arc.

Forget to reply to a text?
Swipe.

Cancel plans you never wanted in the first place?
Swipe.

A stranger judged your choice of ice cream flavour?
Swipe again with glee.

Tiny soft-lipped acts of self-kindness.
Pocket-sized reassurance.
A daily reminder that we deserve to be a little gentler with ourselves.

Because truly, isn’t it strange that we are taught how to pack emergency chargers, hand sanitizers, and IDs…
but not how to put down emotional luggage that weighs more than a carry-on?

So tomorrow morning, as you collect the essentials - phone, wallet, keys — try leaving the guilt behind with the dirty laundry. It never matches your outfit anyway.

Carry the lip balm. 
Carry the softness.
Carry the idea that small comforts count.

Let the world worry about chapped destinies,
your lips and your mind can stay smooth. ✨