Month: February 2026

Saint Scholastica—Letting God Decide

A quiet night, a simple prayer, and a moment handed back to God.

That night was quiet and still. It was the early 500s, in Italy. They were sitting in a small house near the monastery. Benedict, a monk and priest who would later be known as a saint, was preparing to leave. He followed a strict rule and could not stay overnight outside the monastery. Across the table was his twin sister, Scholastica, a nun who lived a life of prayer. They met only once a year. The day was spent simply, talking about God, praying, and sharing time together.

Scholastica asked him to stay longer. Benedict said no. He was faithful to the rule he lived by. Scholastica didn’t argue. She didn’t insist. She bowed her head and prayed. After that, a strong storm came, with heavy rain and wind. Benedict could no longer leave. So he stayed.

Scholastica is often remembered only because of that moment, but her life was mostly quiet. She formed other women who chose the same path of prayer and discipline. If Benedict gave structure and order to monastic life, Scholastica lived its inner spirit. Trust. Listening. Letting God decide.

The heart of the story is not the storm. It’s what she chose to do. She didn’t force her brother. She didn’t push against the rule. She placed the moment in God’s hands. If it was truly God’s will for Benedict to stay, then God would make a way. If not, she was ready to let him go. That is why Saint Gregory the Great later wrote that she “was able to do more because she loved more.” Because her love was no longer operating on a merely human level.

Today, this still happens in simple ways. We follow rules, schedules, and habits because they help life work. But sometimes, instead of pushing our way or arguing, the better move is to stop and pray. Just to leave the moment with God. That’s what Saint Scholastica shows us. Love doesn’t push. It lets God decide.

Let’s keep learning the saints’ way—day by day.

⌨ ᴛʸᵖⁱⁿᵍ ᴏᵘᵗ ᵒᶠ ᵗʰᵉ ʙˡᵘᵉ ᵈᵃʳᵉᵐ ᵐᵘˢⁱᶜ ᵇˡᵒᵍ

Saint • Darem Placer

Lazy, Unmotivated, or Anhedonic? Part 2

Not all “laziness” is the same. This Part 2 looks at what actually helps—and how to fix the right problem.

Let’s Try to Fix Them

For those who’d rather listen.

If you feel stuck and don’t know why, the first step is naming what’s really happening. These three often look the same on the outside, but they don’t come from the same place.

Laziness is about comfort winning over effort. You have the energy. You know what to do. You just keep delaying because starting feels inconvenient.

Example: you’re not tired, not overwhelmed, just choosing “later” again and again.

The fix is to remove choice. Decide the task in advance, set a fixed time, make it small, and start even if you don’t feel like it.

People who are consistently hardworking are often aware that laziness is a vice. Even if they don’t call it “sloth,” they recognize comfort as something to watch out for. They don’t avoid effort because they feel energetic all the time. They avoid laziness because they know giving in to it too easily weakens them. That awareness alone already changes behavior.

Lack of motivation is about losing meaning. You want to do something, but everything feels pointless or endless. Effort feels disconnected from results.

Example: you sit down to work, stare at the task, and think, “What’s the point?”

The fix is to reconnect effort to something real. Pick one clear reason, one small outcome you can finish today, then stop.

Sometimes encouragement comes after the effort, not before. When you do your best at a task, people notice. Appreciation often shows up quietly—trust, respect, being relied on. That kind of recognition is more motivating than praise given too early. You don’t work for approval, but doing your work well often creates it, and that eventually fuels motivation.

Anhedonia is different. It’s when feeling itself goes quiet. Even things you used to enjoy don’t land anymore. This isn’t a choice or a mindset issue.

Example: you do the things you normally like, but nothing sparks.

The focus is recovery, not force. Lower stress, keep routines gentle, and try familiar things in different ways. Sometimes feeling returns not by repeating the old pattern, but by approaching it differently.

Same behavior. Different causes.

That’s why one solution never fits all.

When you stop calling everything “laziness,” you stop fighting the wrong problem.

And once you’re fighting the right one, starting doesn’t feel so heavy anymore.

If you haven’t read Part 1 yet, it explains the difference between the three. You can read it here.

Behind the Anhedonic Walls • Darem Placer

⌨ ᴛʸᵖⁱⁿᵍ ᴏᵘᵗ ᵒᶠ ᵗʰᵉ ʙˡᵘᵉ ᵈᵃʳᵉᵐ ᵐᵘˢⁱᶜ ᵇˡᵒᵍ