"The Strongest People Are Often the Most Tired"

A love note to caregivers who are quietly carrying too much.

Let’s talk about the people who hold the world together quietly and constantly.

Caregivers. Therapists. Nurses. Doctors. Support workers. The folks in elder care homes. The ones who show up when others fall apart. The ones who sit in the mess and the chaos and do their best to bring calm. The ones who listen, soothe, clean, document, and repeat.

If that’s you… hi. I’m glad you’re here.

And if you’ve been feeling more tired than usual. More foggy. A little more impatient than you’d like. Maybe detached. Maybe even resentful of the very work you used to love. You’re not alone. You’re not broken.

You might be burned out.

We Don't Talk Enough About Burnout

Here’s the twist. We, the people who know all about stress and trauma and overwhelm, are often the worst at noticing it in ourselves. Or worse. We notice it and still push through.

That voice that says, “Just one more session,” or “They need me more than I need rest,” becomes a loop. The kind that leads to full-body, full-soul exhaustion.

Some numbers for context:

• Over 60% of nurses in Canada report emotional exhaustion.

• Nearly half of all doctors report feeling burned out.

• Therapists, especially in private practice, often feel isolated. Many carry their clients’ stories home with them.

• Workers in long-term elder care are among the most emotionally overextended people in the caregiving system.

  
  

And still, many of us think we’re supposed to be okay.

You Are Not a Machine

Somewhere along the way, we started thinking of care as sacrifice. That good caregivers are the ones who push through. Who never complain. Who are always available.

But real care includes you too. You are not a robot in scrubs. Not a set of credentials holding space. You’re human. You have a body that gets tired. A heart that breaks. A brain that gets foggy. That matters.

You deserve to feel supported.

What Care Might Look Like

Let’s be honest. Most caregivers don’t need another lecture about burnout. What we need is something simple. Gentle. Doable.

Maybe it’s lighting a candle before you open your laptop.

Maybe it’s a journal you scribble in between clients.

Maybe it’s sitting still for two minutes without trying to fix anything.

Maybe it’s writing down one thing you’re afraid to say out loud. And letting it go.

That’s the kind of care we’ve built into the Summer of Self-Care. A three-month retreat starting June 21 for caregivers who feel like they’re running on fumes. It’s full of short videos, creative rituals, journal prompts, and a Facebook group that actually gets it.

You don’t have to finish anything. There’s nothing to keep up with. You just show up when you want to. In whatever state you’re in.

One Last Thing

If you’ve been feeling disconnected or overwhelmed, that doesn’t mean you’re bad at your job. It means your job is heavy. It means you’ve been carrying too much without enough support.

You don’t have to wait until you break down to ask for care.

You’re allowed to rest before the crisis.

You’re allowed to care for yourself even when others still need you.

You’re allowed to slow down.

And if you need help doing that—we’re here when you’re ready.

– Jen