The air hung heavy, thick with the unspoken anxieties that clung to Sarah like a second skin. She sat at her kitchen table, the morning sun casting long shadows across the chipped porcelain mug warming her hands, yet offering no warmth to her soul. The silence, usually a comfort, felt suffocating today, a stark contrast to the relentless chatter in her head. It was a familiar torment, a chorus of self-doubt and criticism, a symphony of "what ifs" and "should haves" playing on an endless loop. Today, the melody was particularly discordant.