You made a commitment.
A plan. A promise. A thing you said yes to, maybe weeks ago, maybe yesterday. At the time, it seemed fine. Doable. Even exciting.
But now it's here. The day has arrived. And you don't want to go.
Not because you're lazy. Not because you don't care. But because your brain is full. Your body is tired. Because the thought of getting ready, showing up, being present, performing normalcy — it feels impossible today.
The thing is, when you said yes, you were a different version of yourself. That version had different energy, different capacity, different bandwidth. You couldn't have predicted how today would feel.
And now you're stuck between the promise you made and the reality of where you are.
Here's what I want you to know: you can cancel.
Not every time. Not without consideration. But sometimes. And today might be one of those times.
Canceling isn't failure. It's not weakness. It's not proof that you're unreliable or broken. It's self-preservation. It's recognizing that pushing through would cost more than it's worth.
The guilt will come. I know. It always does. You'll wonder what they'll think. You'll rehearse apologies. You'll feel like you're letting people down.
Let the guilt come. Acknowledge it. And then let it pass.
Because here's the truth: people understand more than you think. Most of them have cancelled things too. Most of them won't hold it against you. And if they do? That's information about them, not you.
Protecting your energy isn't selfish. It's necessary. You can't show up for others if you're running on empty. You can't be present if you're not really there.
So if you need to cancel, cancel. Send the text. Make the call. Keep it simple. "I'm not feeling up to it today" is a complete sentence.
Then rest. Actually rest. Don't spend the time you saved feeling guilty about saving it.
You're allowed to say no. Even after saying yes.
This is ADHD FM. Your wellbeing comes first. Everything else is secondary.