🌿 When You’re the One Everyone Leans On
Originally shared with newsletter subscribers on April 13, 2025. Want reflections like this in your inbox? Join the newsletter here.
A Quiet Kind of Grief We Don’t Talk About
Lately, I’ve been reflecting on something I hear often from clients - and something I’ve felt myself many times, too:
What it means to be the one everyone leans on.
To care for others, even when you feel invisible in your own pain.
To hold the pieces together while slowly unraveling inside.
There’s a quiet kind of grief that lives in that role.
Not the kind others see - but the kind that lingers in your body and shows up in your breath.
You might carry guilt for saying “no.”
Resentment for being overlooked.
Hope that one day, they’ll finally change - and grief when they don’t.
If that sounds like you:
🧡 Your limits are sacred.
🧡 Your exhaustion is valid.
🧡 You don’t have to keep holding what was never yours.
Insight: The Weight You Were Taught to Hold
So many of us became caretakers before we even had words for it.
We were the ones who noticed everyone’s moods, who softened tension, who over-functioned to stay safe.
As adults, we still carry that invisible job description.
It’s exhausting.
And you’re allowed to set it down now — even if it feels unfamiliar.
Learning to stop overfunctioning isn’t selfish.
It’s sacred work.
🌱 What Might Help This Week
When a wave of emotion rises — sadness, guilt, frustration, grief:
Pause.
Take one slow breath.
Then softly name what you're feeling:
“This is grief.”
“This is frustration.”
“This is sadness.”
“This is hurt.”
Just naming the emotion — without judgment — can calm your nervous system and help you return to yourself.
🏠 In-Person Therapy in Toronto
This spring, I have limited openings for new therapy clients - including those seeking in-person sessions in my beautiful, plant-filled Toronto space designed for emotional healing, reflection, and grounded connection.
In-person sessions are available for:
✔ Individual therapy
✔ Couples therapy
✔ Family therapy
✔ Relational therapy (1-on-1 work on relationship patterns)
Clients drawn to this space are often:
✔ Women and gender-diverse adults ready for deep inner work
✔ Those navigating grief, emotional overwhelm, or complex family dynamics
✔ People who’ve carried too much for too long and are ready to feel supported
📅 In-person appointments available on Wednesdays
✨ If you’re longing for something more grounded, I’d love to welcome you to my beautiful space.
👉 Book a Free 15-Minute Consultation
🧘♀️ Join the MBSR Waitlist (Starts Later in May)
8-Week Small Supportive Virtual Group
If you’ve been:
Overwhelmed and stretched too thin
Constantly on edge or unable to relax
Holding too much - for too long
Longing for space to slow down and actually feel supported
You’re not alone.
And you don’t have to keep pushing through it by yourself.
MBSR is a structured, research-backed program proven to help you:
✔ Reduce chronic stress using simple, practical tools
✔ Feel less overwhelmed and more steady, calm, and clear
✔ Build emotional resilience and cope with challenges more effectively
✔ Strengthen habits that support your nervous system and energy
✔ Create space for you - not just everyone else
This is a virtual group, and we meet weekly on Zoom in a small, supportive setting.
📅 Begins later in May
📩 Registration isn’t open yet - but you can join the waitlist to receive early details.
👉 Join the MBSR Waitlist Here
I'm a Certified MBSR Instructor, trained at the Centre for Mindfulness Studies in Toronto - where I also had the privilege of teaching mindfulness groups for some time.
💖 This Week’s Self-Care Whisper
Choose one small thing to let go of this week.
One moment you don’t have to be available.
Let that be your act of rest.
That choice, no matter how small, is a radical act of healing.
