Trapped in my own head

I know you're trying to protect me,
I know you're trying to warn me,
But your whispers become chains,
Tying my thoughts in knots I can't untangle.

I feel your weight,
The constant press on my chest,
You creep in during quiet moments,
Turning silence into storms.

You twist the future into shadows,
Dig up the past like it's fresh again,
And leave me stranded in the now,
Unable to just be.

I understand you,
But I don't need you pulling me under,
Not when I'm reaching for the surface,
For peace, for air.

Can you let me breathe without your burden?
Let me walk without stumbling over "what ifs,"
And just, for once,
Let me be.