For the One Who’s Always Okay but Isn’t Really Okay

Dear You,

The one who always knows what to say, what to do, how to show up—

maybe this finds you between meetings, between moments, between holding it all together.

Somewhere in the quiet, beneath the noise of being everything to everyone,  

I hope these words reach the part of you that’s tired—  

even when everything looks fine.

You, who always seems to know what to do.  

You, who people turn to when they feel lost or weary.  

You, who holds so much together—quietly, gently,  

often without anyone noticing.

You give so much.  

You care deeply.  

You try so hard.

And maybe, just maybe, you’re tired in a way that rest alone doesn’t seem to fix.

I see you.

And I want to say something you might not hear very often:  

Even the strongest ones need care.  

Even you.

When Tired Feels Like Too Much

There’s a kind of tired that goes beyond the body.  

It settles in your chest, your eyes, your breath.  

It lingers in the way you sigh at the end of the day.

It’s the tired that comes from always being “the one who knows.”

The helper. The listener. The strong one.  

The one who carries so much—even when something inside feels heavy or out of reach.

And sometimes, the world tells women—especially women of colour—  

that this is just how life is supposed to feel.

That exhaustion is strength.  

That tired is normal.  

That rest must be earned, and softness must wait.

But those are old stories.

They are not the whole truth.

What If You Don’t Have to Be So Strong All the Time?

Therapy is not about fixing you.  

You are not broken.

You’ve adapted. You’ve survived.  

That’s not brokenness—it’s resistance.

Therapy is a soft space.  

A quiet space.  

A space where you don’t have to pretend.

Where your shoulders can drop.  

Where your voice doesn’t have to sound brave.  

Where you can say “I don’t know” and be met with kindness.

In therapy, you don’t need to have the answers.  

You get to rest.  

You get to feel.  

You get to be.

Can You Imagine This?

Waking up and feeling just a little lighter.  

Taking a breath without rushing to the next thing.

Letting yourself laugh—not because you’re masking,  

but because something inside you feels safe again.

Being kind to yourself, even when the world feels unkind.  

Feeling proud of tiny steps, even if no one else sees them.

This version of you exists.  

She is not far away.  

She is already inside you—  

quiet, patient, waiting to be heard.

If This Feels Familiar…

If your heart nodded while reading this...  

If a part of you whispered, “This is me...”

Then maybe this is your invitation.

To rest.  

To receive.  

To begin.

You don’t have to wait until it’s “really bad.”  

You don’t have to prove your pain or explain your exhaustion.

Wanting something softer for yourself is reason enough.

You have carried so much.  

Now it’s time to be carried—just for a little while.

With kindness,  

Your Therapist

Written by Amina Jama