In the wake of the Tumbler Ridge school shooting, many of us are sitting with more than shock. We’re grieving — not only for the lives lost, but for the quiet belief that “this doesn’t happen here.” When a country grieves, safety feels thinner, our nervous systems react, and we’re left trying to steady ourselves in a story that has shifted

The world feels heavy right now. Even if you’re not “in it.” Even if nothing is wrong on paper. You don’t have to be directly affected to feel the impact. Our nervous systems respond to uncertainty, instability, and what we’re taking in — often before we can make sense of it. If panic feels closer to the surface, or life feels heavier than it should, you’re not broken. You’re responding. This piece is about naming that experience — and finding small ways to anchor back to steady.

Some years don’t come with one clear breaking point. They build quietly, through care, responsibility, and emotional labour — until the weight of it all begins to show. This is a reflection on grief, burnout, and what it means to simply get through a hard year.