The Group Chat Moved On and I Forgot to Unmute It
There’s a moment—somewhere around 36, 37—where things get weird.
Not bad weird, just... emotionally foggy. Quiet in a way that feels heavy, even if your calendar isn’t.
I turn 37 this July.
And lately, I’ve felt like I’m living in two timelines at once.
Some of my friends are just starting their families—baby carriers, sleepless nights, first steps.
Others? Their kids are graduating, getting licenses, leaving for college.
And I’m over here packing snacks for a bike race, checking my protein intake, and wondering if I’m sweating because of perimenopause or because I’m too close to the stove again.
It’s not a crisis. But it is a shift.
Some friendships have faded. Not in a dramatic falling-out kind of way—just slowly. Quietly. Life happened. Schedules got busy. Priorities changed. Conversations grew further apart. And honestly? I’m not sure who stepped back first.
Sometimes I wonder if I just missed something.
Like the group chat moved on... and I forgot to unmute it.
That realization stings more than I care to admit.
And yes, it’s frustrating—especially when I’m not the only one who stopped reaching out.
But while some connections drift, others spark.
I’ve met new friends on the sidelines of the wrestling mat and during ladies night bike rides. I’ve shared laughs with people I didn’t even know a year ago.
Turns out, a lot of us are standing in the same limbo:
Mid-thirties. Stretched thin. Figuring it out as we go.
I love my life. I really do.
My family is everything. I have a husband who shows up, kids I adore, and a body I’ve worked hard to take care of. But that doesn’t mean I’m not changing—or noticing how much the world around me is, too.
My interests have shifted.
I don’t want to go out every weekend. I don’t want surface-level small talk. I don’t want to pretend everything’s fine when my hormones say otherwise.
I want to feel strong. Clear. Energized. Like myself again.
And I’ve found that clarity in small things:
Strength training at home (because let’s be real—I don’t want to commute to the gym)
A nutrition plan built around macros and hormone health
Whole foods that fuel me instead of crashing me
Intermittent fasting that supports my energy—not starves it
This isn’t about chasing skinny.
It’s about feeling like I’m in my body again instead of constantly at war with it.
I know I’m not the only one wondering:
“Why am I doing everything ‘right’ and still feel stuck?”
“Where did my people go?”
“Why do I feel both grateful and... disconnected?”
You’re not broken. You’re evolving.
I’m not unhappy. I’m just in the middle of something.
Not lost. Not left behind. Just recalibrating.
So if you’re somewhere in this weird season too—where you’re lifting weights, eating more veggies than your kids, managing your hormones like a second job, and still feeling like something’s... off—just know this:
You’re not alone in the middle.
And maybe the group chat isn’t where we belong anymore.
Maybe we’re just learning to unmute ourselves.
Let’s keep doing this—with tough love, heavy weights, whole foods, carbs when they serve us, and people who get it.
Because we’re not stuck.
We’re in motion.
A powerful 6-week start to feeling good again—from the inside out.
