The truth is that. I rarely tell anyone how stressful certain situations can become for me, or how difficult it is, especially in the times we are living in, to stay focused on personal goals and remain positive all the time.
I know that everything in life is a process, and that sometimes things happen to us without understanding why. Over time, I have learned that many painful experiences arrive to teach us something, even if while we are living them we only feel frustration, sadness, or even resentment toward the people involved.
Very few times do we truly understand the lesson behind traumatic situations while they are happening. Most of the time, we focus on asking ourselves why we had to experience them, instead of noticing how those experiences slowly transform our personality and the way we face life.
Right now, even though I am not someone who gives up easily or gets stressed too quickly, I feel that the accumulation of important situations is putting a lot of pressure on me. And unfortunately, that pressure can distract us from what truly matters: ourselves and the limited time we all have in this life.
Lately, I have noticed myself sighing constantly, and that alone says a lot. Even though I show the world that I can handle everything, that is only the perception I give: a strong and independent woman who always finds a way to solve her own problems and also take care of her daughters. Not because I already have financial stability — not yet — but because I still have a strong desire to live, grow, and move forward.
The reality is that people rarely think someone like me needs to stop and breathe for a moment, because I became so used to solving everything on my own. But I think it is finally time to breathe again, to reconnect with yoga, which helps both my soul and my body, and to walk barefoot on the grass in my backyard, where I often reflect on who I am and everything I have had to overcome in this life.
I always encourage others to follow their dreams. I advise them on how to release stress, how to identify their talents, and how to turn what they love into opportunities that can improve their quality of life. I strongly believe that learning never takes up space and that knowledge can free both the body and the soul.
However, many times the people who give advice are the ones who forget to apply it to themselves. And I think it is time for me to change that.
Living in Cuba is not easy. And I am not talking about politics. I am talking about the emotional and mental challenges of trying to move forward every single day. Still, I also believe that having a closed mindset can become an even bigger obstacle than the place where we live. Because a country does not completely determine whether we can achieve our dreams, even if it makes the journey more difficult.
So this is my reality: accumulated stress disguised as strength.
My advice to anyone reading this is to fight for your dreams and never allow anyone to convince you that you cannot achieve them. As for me, I will continue doing everything possible to reach mine.
And if anyone has gone through something similar and would like to share a small experience or reflection, I would truly appreciate reading it. After all, we came into this world to learn from one another. 
