✍🏽 “Check On Your Strong Self”

daniellejwrencher
Aug 22
2 min read

🧠 Check On Your Strong Self: A Mid-Year Mental Health Tune-Up

As August rolls in, many of us are running on fumes—managing back-to-school transitions, work demands, and the quiet (but very real) fatigue of carrying too much for too long. The to-do lists keep growing, and if you’re someone others depend on—the one who always “has it handled”—you may not even notice how rarely you’ve checked in with yourself.

But strong doesn’t mean invincible. And capable doesn’t mean okay.

This is your invitation to pause. To breathe. To check on your strong self.

🌿 Is Strength Your Default Setting?

For high-functioning women—especially Black women—strength often becomes an identity, not just a tool. You show up. You lead. You protect. You produce. And beneath it all, there may be invisible labor, suppressed emotions, and a longing to be held instead of holding everything.

Mid-year is a powerful checkpoint. It’s a moment to ask:

📝 What am I carrying that no one sees?

📝 What am I avoiding because I feel I “should be fine”?

📝 Who supports me when I’m not at 100%?

🧘🏽‍♀️ Your Nervous System Knows

When your nervous system is constantly on high alert, it can be hard to recognize burnout creeping in. Maybe it’s showing up as migraines, insomnia, irritability, or emotional numbness.

Try this micro-check-in:✋🏾 Place one hand on your chest and one on your belly.💬 Ask: Where am I holding tension today? What do I need right now?

You don’t have to collapse to deserve rest. You don’t need to justify your overwhelm.

🔄 3 Ways to Reclaim Emotional Clarity

1. Redraw Your Boundaries

Re-evaluate your current commitments:

What drains you?
What used to feel aligned but now feels forced? Boundaries protect your energy—not just your time.

2. Replace Reaction With Reflection

Use a daily 60-second check-in:

“What am I feeling?”
“Is this mine to carry?”
“What will center me today?”

Even a moment of reflection creates clarity and calm.

3. Micro-Rest is Still Rest

Rest doesn’t need to be big to matter. Try:

5 minutes of deep breathing
One page of journaling
Staring at the ceiling guilt-free

Your nervous system just needs a signal: You are safe to soften.

💜 You Deserve to Feel Like You

You are not your performance. You are not your productivity. You are not a machine.

The second half of the year can still hold softness, clarity, and replenishment—but only if you pause to listen.