Why do I feel broken? In this Norse story, Jeremy Van Wert suggests that the feeling often comes from old threads of belief other people handed you, not from fate. Following Embla at the roots of the world tree, he shows how a heavy word like “broken” can be set down and rewritten as something kinder, one small stitch at a time.
ᛉKey takeaways
- Jeremy says Embla's threads are things she came to believe about herself, such as “too sensitive,” and not a fixed fate.
- The only thread that matters in the story is the blank one that isn't written yet, which stands for your future.
- Odin says the screaming giant wants only to be heard, and that giants are dangerous when you pretend they don't exist.
- A dwarf hammers the word “broken” into “feels deeply.”
- Odin's advice is one small stitch a day toward who you are becoming.
ᛃ Moments in this one
ᚠWhy Do I Feel Broken? The Threads Embla Is Handed
Why do I feel broken is a question many people with anxiety or ADHD carry for years. In this third part of his Norse Campfire Story, Jeremy Van Wert answers it through Embla, who has been wandering the roots of Yggdrasil, the world tree, with an old wanderer who turns out to be Odin. Jeremy says he uses the myth to talk about your anxiety, your ADHD and the struggle so many people have with the way they are.
Odin leads her to a well with three women, who stand for what has happened, what is happening and what is to come.
The old woman hands Embla her threads, and each holds something Embla has heard in her life. One says she doesn't apply herself in class. Another asks why she can't be more like her sister. Others say she is too sensitive, or that someone no longer wants to be her friend. Odin tells her these are the things she has come to truly believe about herself.
ᚢFate or Belief? The Only Thread You Need
Shaking, Embla asks if she is destined to this by fate. The middle woman laughs and says no. These threads are things other people said that Embla adopted as who she believes she is.
She hands Embla a new handful of threads, but they say nothing, and in Embla's hand they become one single thread. According to the story, that is the only thread she needs to worry about, because it isn't written yet. It is her future.
For readers asking why they feel broken inside, that is the first idea Jeremy offers: the feeling may be made of borrowed sentences, and sentences can be set down. If you want company while you sort through yours, Thriving Spirits, the Mindful Mutiny community, offers real conversation, real tools and a course library on the ADHD and consciousness work Jeremy does with clients.
ᚦFeeling Broken Inside and the Giant Who Wants to Be Heard
As Embla holds her thread, the forest shudders and a giant taller than the trees lets out a horrible scream. Embla knows that scream. It is how she feels waking at 2 a.m. with the anxiety of her week closing in, and the old pain of thinking she is not good enough.
Her instinct is to run, but Odin tells her the giant wants what every giant wants, which is to be heard. When she looks up, the giant is crying. It is a scream of visceral pain, not of threat.
Giants are only dangerous, Odin says, when you pretend they don't exist and act as though your pain isn't real. Embla places her hand on the giant's root and says she feels it and is sorry it feels that way. The giant sits down like a tired child, finally heard.
ᚨThe Well of Wisdom: How “Broken” Becomes “Feels Deeply”
Odin then takes her to a darker well, the well of wisdom, and says drinking from it cost him an eye. As Jeremy tells it, the point is that seeking wisdom means leaving something behind: an old way of seeing yourself and old ideas about your capability.
In the water Embla sees messages like “too much,” “not enough” and “too sensitive.” She picks out the heaviest word, “broken,” and asks to leave it there. As she drinks, the word sinks to a dwarf at the bottom, who sets it on his anvil and hammers.
He hands it back changed. It now reads “feels deeply.” Most gold, he says, is found in the dark.
ᚱOne Stitch a Day: A Small Way to Stop Feeling Broken
Embla leaves with “feels deeply” in one hand and her single thread in the other. Odin's answer to what she should do is small: make one stitch a day into what you are becoming, around the idea that you feel deeply. You are not broken, he says. You feel deeply.
He does not promise a quick change. You work at it and get better and better. Jeremy adds that moving on often costs old ideas, friend groups and organizations. If you would like a professional alongside you for that work, you can read about individual therapy and ADHD coaching with Jeremy.
ᚲADHD Feeling Broken: Why “Too Sensitive” Often Means Perceptive
Jeremy ties the myth to everyday life. He says each of us has a giant screeching inside, and the way through is to say “I see you, I know you're there.” He adds that we are not defined by our trauma, whether it was dramatic or slow.
His closing question is what one idea about yourself you would give the dwarf to hammer into gold. When someone says you're too sensitive, he says, it often means you are extremely perceptive, a skill built over time to keep you safe.
If that lands, a private 30-minute conversation with Jeremy is an easy next step, and the page on whether you are a fit for his work gives a straight read.
This post is for education and is not medical advice or a substitute for care from a licensed professional. If you are struggling, please reach out to a licensed professional or your local emergency services.
ᚨ Questions people ask
Why do I feel broken all the time?
Jeremy Van Wert doesn't offer a diagnosis. In this Norse story he suggests the feeling can be built from things other people said that you came to believe, like “too sensitive” or “not enough.” In the myth, those beliefs are threads, not fate.
What does feeling broken inside have to do with ADHD?
Jeremy tells the story for people dealing with anxiety and ADHD. He says there is much more to people with ADHD than a lack of focus and difficulty finishing things.
What does the giant in the story represent?
Jeremy reads the screaming giant as pain you have been ignoring. Odin says it only wants to be heard, and it calms once Embla acknowledges it.
What small step can I take if I feel broken?
Odin tells Embla to make one stitch a day into who she is becoming. Jeremy suggests picking one belief about yourself that you are ready to see differently.