There are days when everything feels like too much—like the very structure of reality is just slightly tilted, and you’re the only one noticing the slope. On those days, grand wisdom and motivational speeches just ricochet off your skin. But a small affirmation? That might make it through.

Kate Cassidy recently said in her video ‘are our screens destroying our social skills?’: “Things are supposed to be messy and awkward, and that’s OK.” And that stuck with me all afternoon. Even if it’s not a revolutionary declaration, it’s a soft truth. It won’t trend. It won’t go viral. But it’s the kind of thought that can keep a person afloat.

Lines like this from Kate are like a lived permission slip for everyone drowning in their own seriousness. It’s a micro‑affirmation in Mary Rowe’s terms—a small but powerful gesture that acknowledges someone’s worth in a way so subtle it often goes unnoticed.

Affirmations don’t have to be loud. Or profound. Or even confident. It can be as simple as a gentle reminder that messy is normal, that awkwardness is human. Silence doesn’t always mean rejection. Surviving is still a kind of participation. They just have to be true enough to remind you that you’re still here and moving forward, even if it’s just a small step at a time.