✨ Strong, Tired, and Still Showing Up: Because strength without softness is just survival—and baby, we were meant to live.
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There’s a unique exhaustion that hits different when you’re the one everybody counts on. It’s not just physical. It’s emotional. It’s spiritual. It’s the kind of tired that seeps into your bones even after 8 hours of sleep. And no matter how much you rest… you still feel like you’re running on empty.
This week’s episode was born out of a moment. A quote I saw on Facebook—one of those that hits so deep, you can’t even scroll past it. It said:
“We never worried about you. You always knew how to take care of yourself.”
At first glance, it feels like a compliment. A badge of honor. But then it sinks in:
No one ever worried… because no one ever thought you needed help.
And just like that, I realized how many of us—especially Black women, especially mothers, especially caregivers—are silently drowning under the weight of being the strong one.
💭 What It Means to Be “The Strong One”
Being strong is often praised in our culture. But that strength… it costs something.
It costs you moments of vulnerability.
It costs you softness.
It costs you the ability to say “I need help” without guilt or shame.
And too often, it costs you connection.
You become the person everyone else leans on… while no one thinks to ask if you need to sit down and be held too.
This week, I asked y’all on IG, “What’s been annoying you this week?”
And listen—you let it out:
🗣️ “These grocery prices!”
🗣️ “The adult kid 🙄”
🗣️ “Atlanta rain won’t let up.”
🗣️ “Yt people… God really gotta help me.”
It was funny, but it was real. These weren’t just annoyances. These were cries from women holding it all—holding the family, the bills, the boundaries, the burnout. And still showing up.
🧠 Let’s Talk About the Emotional Inflation
We’re navigating real-life inflation, yes. But what about emotional inflation?
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The cost of groceries is wild, but so is the cost of constantly giving and rarely receiving.
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The adult kids are eating up the snacks and the last bit of your patience.
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The rain outside mirrors the storm inside.
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And then there’s the microaggressions, the daily dismissals, the exhaustion of performing calmness when chaos is bubbling under the surface.
In this episode, I unpack all of it. I go beneath the jokes. Beneath the “I’m good.” Beneath the masks we wear to survive in a world that doesn’t always check on the strong ones.
✨ Truths We Sit With This Week:
💬 Just because I carry it well doesn’t mean it’s not heavy.
💬 Being capable doesn’t mean I don’t need care.
💬 Asking for help is not weakness—it’s wisdom.
💬 Strength helped me survive, but softness helps me live.
And baby, I’m in a season where I want to live.
Rest.
Receive.
Exhale.
Not just grind. Not just endure. Not just keep it together for everybody else.
🧘🏽♀️ What I’m Inviting You Into:
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Give yourself permission to be soft.
You don’t always have to be “on.” You can say “not today.” You can cry. You can fall apart. And still be whole. -
Take up space in your own life.
Don’t just show up for others—show up for you. You deserve to be poured into too. -
Let your strength rest.
Strength doesn’t have to be loud. Sometimes, strength is knowing when to sit down and be still. Let God, your community, and your spirit restore you.
💕 Final Thoughts:
You don’t have to hold it all.
You don’t have to be everything for everybody.
You can be strong and soft. Capable and cared for.
You can set the weight down. Just for a moment. Just for you.
Because you deserve rest too.
📲 Listen now wherever you stream podcasts.
🎙️ Rest Mama Podcast — New episodes every week.
💌 Join my IG Channel Unfiltered + Yap for behind-the-scenes thoughts, voice notes, and exclusive prompts @agatha_inc
#RestIsRich #StrongTiredStillShowingUp #UnfilteredAndYap #RestMama #SoftnessIsSacred