The Illusion of Struggle: When Free Time Becomes the Enemy
“The soul is dyed by the color of its thoughts. ” - Marcus Aurelius When life isn’t pressing us with real challenges, our minds have a way of inventing them. Free time turns into overthinking, small issues start feeling big, and suddenly you are stressed over things that don’t actually matter. It is not that life is heavy but because an idle mind will always look for weight to carry. Instead of focusing on meaningful goals or growth, we start spiraling into unnecessary worries, overthinking relationships, replaying small mistakes, or even fabricating conflicts that don’t exist. The absence of real struggle leaves the mind craving stimulation. Think about it: when you are truly in survival mode, building a career, working toward financial stability, or overcoming personal setbacks, you don’t have the luxury to obsess over every unanswered text or minor misunderstanding. Your energy is directed toward what truly matters. But when your plate is empty, your mind looks for something, a...