One Soft Moment Can Change Everything

Let’s talk about emotional exhaustion as a Black woman—and what
it really means to be held.


What if being held didn’t require you to fall apart first?


What if it was something you could reach for before you hit the
breaking point?


This episode was recorded at five o’clock in the morning… no mic,
no script, no prep—just me, a heavy heart, and a whole lot of
truth. Because sometimes the softest, most honest thing you can
do is show up exactly as you are, while you’re still sitting in
the weight of it.


We’re talking about the quiet kind of emotional exhaustion—the
kind that creeps in when you’ve been moving for so long, you
forget what it feels like to ask yourself what you need.


The kind that convinces you being held is too much to ask for.


And if your primary Support Language is Emotional
Safety…
this one might hit extra deep.
Because it’s hard to let yourself be held when you’ve spent your
whole life being the safe space for everybody else.


This one’s not about fixing it.
It’s not about pushing through.
It’s about pausing long enough to say,
“I don’t have to perform today.”


So if you’ve been carrying more than your share, if the emotional
exhaustion is starting to feel like your normal—this episode is
an invitation to come home to yourself.


One soft moment at a time.
Resources to Support You:


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www.shadesofstrong.com



Shirl is the creator of Support Languages and host of Shades of
Strong — a movement shifting the narrative from Strong Black
Woman to Supported Black Woman through language, rest, and real
support.