You have spent so much time
being the strong one,
the listener, the fixer,
the one who never crumbles.
You have held everyone together
even on the days
you felt like falling apart.
You have smiled when your heart was breaking,
laughed when your mind was screaming,
said I’m okay
when the truth sat heavy in your chest.
You’ve stayed up late
answering messages you were too drained to reply to,
typing Don’t worry, I’m here
when you wished someone would say the same to you.
You’ve sat in a room full of people
but still felt alone.
You’ve walked home at sunset,
wondering if anyone truly sees you.
You’ve stared at the ceiling at 2 AM,
thinking about every mistake you’ve ever made.
Some days, even small tasks feel like too much.
The laundry piles up.
The calls go unanswered.
The to-do list keeps growing,
but you have no energy to start.
And maybe you think
asking for help makes you weak.
Maybe you believe
no one will understand,
or that your pain isn’t big enough to matter.
But listen—
you are allowed to feel.
You are allowed to be tired.
You are allowed to put the weight down.
Strength is not pretending you are unbreakable.
Even the ocean needs the shore to hold its waves.
Even the sun rests before it rises again.
Some nights will feel heavier than others.
Some mornings will come too soon.
Some days will test every bit of you.
But you’ve survived every hard moment before.
You will survive this, too.
So breathe.
Slow down.
Let someone in.
You don’t have to carry everything alone.
~Mittal
