Why Is My Heart Racing Over an OTP?
“Please, tell me the OTP”
And suddenly your brain goes:
Was it 764281?
No wait.
746281?
Why are numbers even real?
Why is he waiting?
Why can I see my ancestors judging me from above?
This deserves its own support group.
Why does a six-digit number suddenly feel like you’re defusing a bomb?
And this is just one example of the many tiny tasks that somehow feel way more stressful than they should.
In honour of Mental Health Awareness Month, I’d like to talk about the tiny and oddly specific stressors we deal with often.
The ones nobody talks about enough.
Let’s begin.
Ordering Food Like National Security Depends on It
Ordering food should be simple.
You click.
You pay.
Food arrives.
You eat.
Isn’t that beeeeauuutiful?
So why does it feel like we’re coordinating military logistics?
First, you spend 45 minutes deciding what to eat. Then you place the order and IMMEDIATELY begin stalking the delivery person like:
“Wait, why is he still near the signal?”
“Is he moving? Let me refresh the app.” And then comes the worst part:
THE CALL.
“Hello, I am outside”.
Bro, where? gate? the road? another dimension?
And why are we suddenly wearing whoever’s slippers are near the door and speed-walking like we’re training for the Olympics?
Calling Customer Care
Why do we rehearse this like a school play? Before calling, we prepare:
Our issue
Our account details
Our emotional stability
And somehow the calls always begin with:
"Press 1 for English."
"Press 2 if you’ve already lost hope."
Then you finally connect to a real human and forget your own name. Also, sir, I can hear your fan, your breathing, your neighbours, and maybe even the traffic, but not you.
Ordering Dosa Like It’s a Personality Test
There was once a beautiful time when dosa was simple.
Plain Dosa
Masala Dosa
Ghee roast.
Now I walk into certain restaurants, and the menu reads like a fever dream.
Chocolate dosa (-1000 aura)
Triple Schezwan volcano dosa.
Jurassic Park cheese burst T-Rex dosa.
At this point, I fully expect someone to introduce “Bitcoin dosa.”
I just wanted breakfast. And after reading all 84 options…I still order ghee roast because stability matters.
Crossing the Road While Vehicles Wait for You
I don’t care how confident you are in life.
Nothing humbles a person faster than crossing the road while vehicles stop and watch. Why do we do that awkward fake jog? It’s not fast enough to be impressive or slow enough to be graceful. It’s just panic with movement.
The Butter Naan Math
"One butter naan please."
Quick question.
Why do we always ask:
“That comes as two pieces, right?”
As if naan quantities fluctuate like stock markets. As if they’ll randomly say, "Actually, today it’s just vibes."
We know it’s two.
They know it’s two.
Yet the question must be asked because piece (pun absolutely intended) of mind matters.
Maybe life isn’t always overwhelming because of giant problems. Maybe it’s also because we’re constantly fighting tiny, weird battles no one prepares us for. And while mental health conversations often focus on the big stuff (which absolutely matters), I think we should also acknowledge these strangely stressful little moments we laugh off but quietly carry every day.
So hey, here’s a gentle reminder: Not every moment requires urgency.
The next time you’re panicking over these tiny stressors, pause for a second and ask yourself:
“Will this matter to me tomorrow?”
Most of the time, the answer is no.
And if things get awkward?
Congratulations.
You’re simply participating in the shared human experience of being slightly anxious and wildly overdramatic sometimes.
You’re wonderfully, beautifully human.
Yours dramatically,
Keerthanaa
Founder, kwurk