albatross around one's neck

The phrase "albatross around one's neck" typically refers to a burdensome or hindering situation or problem that one cannot easily escape from or get rid of. It originates from the poem "The Rime of the Ancient Mariner" by Samuel Taylor Coleridge, where the mariner in the story is forced to wear a dead albatross around his neck as punishment for killing it. Thus, it symbolizes a heavy, persistent burden that causes guilt, torment, or obstacles in one's life.