You can spend your whole life sharpening a sword for a war that only existed in your head.

It is possible to spend years preparing for a confrontation that never arrives, building defenses against an imagined attack, rehearsing arguments with people who are not thinking about you. The preparation feels responsible and it consumes the same life that could have been spent on something real.

Ask what you are braced for and how likely it actually is. If the answer is that you are defending against something that has not happened in years, consider putting the sword down and using the time differently.