A small taste of State. Not Situation.
You know that moment.
An email you read twice. A task that suddenly feels difficult. One more thing before bed. Explore three short scenes and see what else might be shaping the moment.
Three fictional moments from one day, inspired by the book. No prior reading needed.
16:10
“Can we talk before you go?”
Read the sceneClose the scene: “Can we talk before you go?”
A colleague sends a message just as you’re getting ready to leave. No reason given. You read it twice. Before you reply, a whole conversation has already started in your head.
What might they mean?
- Something has gone wrong.
- They have a quick question.
Consider another possibility
Either could be true. So could something you haven’t thought of. The message tells you they want to talk. It doesn’t tell you why.
What did the message actually say, and what did you add?
How you feel can shape what a moment seems to mean. A real problem still deserves attention.
16:12
The title looked fine at lunch.
Read the sceneClose the scene: The title looked fine at lunch.
You return to tomorrow’s presentation. Now the title looks weak. A little embarrassing, even. You delete it, then type the same words again.
Look at what changed
The slide hasn’t changed since lunch. Your afternoon has. Two minutes ago, a colleague asked to talk before you leave. Now a simple title feels like something you need to get exactly right. Perhaps it needs work. Perhaps the afternoon is part of the reading too.
What changed: the slide, the afternoon, or both?
How you feel can shape what a moment seems to mean. A real problem still deserves attention.
22:36
Just one more folder.
Read the sceneClose the scene: Just one more folder.
You could go to bed. Instead, you open the photo folder you’ve been meaning to sort for months. It feels easy. Satisfying. Everything has a place. Then you find another folder.
See the next morning
07:08
The photos are sorted. You went to bed after one. Now you’re standing beside the kettle, irritated by the noise it has made every morning for six years. Last night felt like time you found. This morning feels like time someone took.
The kettle hasn’t changed. What else might be part of this morning?
How you feel can shape what a moment seems to mean. A real problem still deserves attention.
07:08
The book
There is more to the moment.
State. Not Situation. explores why an ordinary moment can feel so certain, and what we might notice when we look again.
Ivana Budišin
Clinical psychologist, Luxembourg
Ivana Budišin is a clinical psychologist living and working in Luxembourg. State. Not Situation. is her first book.