Hello and welcome.

It's

Hello and welcome.

It's Dora and this is Radio Headspace.

There's a question that seems to follow us throughout different stages of life.

What's next?

Sometimes it comes from family, sometimes it comes from friends or complete strangers.

And even if it's asked with the best intentions, it can start to feel like life is something we're supposed to

have figured out. Like everyone else somehow got the instruction manual, and we're still looking

for the first page. I notice it's the most at family gatherings, especially around the holidays.

There's this subtle comparison that can creep in, where you start measuring your life against other people's timelines.

And suddenly what you're doing doesn't feel like enough.

I remember being at a baby shower recently for one of my good friends.

She had just gotten married and shortly after found out she was pregnant.

It was such a beautiful moment.

And at the same time, throughout the day, people kept turning to me and asking,

so when is this going to happen for you? Or they'd say, you're next. And I know the sentiment was

innocent. It was coming from love and excitement, but I could feel the pressure building.

In that moment, it felt like the changes I had been going through in my own life didn't count.

They weren't visible, and they weren't being celebrated.

And there was this thought in the background of, am I behind?

But the truth is, life rarely unfolds in this straight line.

...