Ava Heartwell

I didn’t experience cognitive load as stress or overwhelm right away. It felt more like my mind was already occupied — like there were too many open tabs running, even on simple days.

I didn’t realize how much pressure I was putting on my ERMI results until I noticed how badly I wanted them to reassure me.

I didn’t experience mental fatigue as confusion or lack of intelligence. It felt more like weight — as if thinking itself required more effort than it used to, even for simple things.

I kept waiting for ERMI to tell me yes or no. What I had to learn was that it doesn’t work that way — and it was never meant to.

I didn’t experience overstimulation as panic or overwhelm right away. It felt more like my system was full — like there was no room left to process anything new, even small things.

I thought ERMI would tell me what to do. What it actually did was surface a question my nervous system wasn’t ready to answer quickly.

I didn’t experience sensitivity as fragility. It felt more like awareness — as if my body began registering things that used to pass by quietly without a reaction.

At first, my ERMI results felt abstract and unsettling. Over time, they became easier to hold — not because they changed, but because my relationship with them did.

I didn’t experience shakiness as panic or nerves. It felt subtler than that — a faint internal trembling, like my body wasn’t fully anchored even when I felt calm.

I thought comparison would give me perspective. Instead, it pulled me away from my own context and into unnecessary fear.