A Lesson from a Piece of Paper
- Iman Bakhache
- May 25
- 1 min read

Have you ever noticed how some days it takes just one small comment, one delay, one unexpected inconvenience and suddenly you feel like you’re about to explode?
You're not alone.
I recently posted a reel on social media where I lit a simple sheet of paper on fire. It burned quickly, consumed within seconds. Then, I wrapped a similar sheet of paper around a glass of water and tried the same thing. This time, the paper didn’t burn the same way. It resisted. It held its shape. It was protected from within…That simple experiment tells a powerful story.
When we don’t take care of our emotional, mental, and physical well-being, we’re like that fragile piece of paper, easy to set off, easy to burn, and quick to crumble. But when we fill our inner world with strength, rest, clarity, and self-awareness, we are much more resilient.
You don’t need to eliminate every trigger in life. That’s impossible.But you can build your inner foundation so that when life throws sparks… you don’t catch fire.
It’s not a glass of water.
It’s YOU:
Your morning rituals
Your time to recharge
Your healthy boundaries
Your supportive relationships
Your journaling, movement, prayer, or meditation
Your honesty with how you feel and what you need
Every single one of these adds to your inner strength.
They’re your fireproofing system.
In my reel, I asked:
What triggers you?
Who triggers you?
What are you doing to protect your well-being?
Ask yourself more questions.
Go deeper:
What warning signs do you feel when you're close to burnout?
What’s something you’ve stopped doing lately that used to help your well-being?
What emotional boundaries are you currently not honoring?
How much of your day is spent reacting versus intentionally responding?
What would change in your life if you paused more and protected your energy?
What small habit can you commit to daily to make your inner world stronger?
You are not weak for feeling overwhelmed.
You’re human.But when you feel like you're always on the edge of burning out, maybe it's not about changing the world around you...
Maybe it's time to nurture the world within you…
THINK ABOUT IT…







My early morning prayers / readings followed by exercise almost every morning are my routine for a solid ground and inner world balance! They help me shift my mental energy and reduce my overthinking :).