Some things pass. Others stay with us.

A comment. A decision. A setback. An unanswered question. Something that should have been resolved days, months or even years ago can still occupy far more space than we think it deserves. We may understand perfectly well that dwelling on it changes nothing, yet understanding does not necessarily stop the reaction.

Unrattled explores what happens when life gets under our skin, why some experiences continue to affect us long after the moment itself has passed, and what remains available to us when simply telling ourselves to move on does not work.

Drawing on lived experience, observation and the often-contradictory ways people respond under pressure, Alok Kedar examines the space between being rattled and what happens next. Sometimes there is something useful we can do. Sometimes the next move is to stop knocking on a door that is not opening. Sometimes there is no immediate move at all. And sometimes understanding what happened still is not enough to make the feeling disappear.

This is not a book about becoming immune to stress, anger, irritation, disappointment, uncertainty or hurt. It is about recognising what is happening more clearly, understanding what remains within our influence, and making more deliberate choices about what we allow an experience to do next.

Because life will still get under your skin. The question is whether it gets everything that comes afterwards.