Feeling like you’re shouldering the world’s weight? You’re not alone.
The Invisible Load
Do you ever feel like you’re the one holding everything together?
Like if you stopped, everything would collapse? You manage the emotions. You track the logistics. You carry the finances, the plans, the energy, the healing. And quietly—maybe even unconsciously—you believe that no one else will.
If you’re nodding, know this: you’re not alone. Many women find themselves in this exact place, feeling the pressure to be everything for everyone.
Strength as Armor
This over-responsibility is not just a habit. It’s often a coping mechanism born from early wounds. When you grow up without consistent emotional safety—whether due to neglect, trauma, or even just the absence of attuned care—you learn to compensate. You become the caretaker, the achiever, the one who gets it done. It becomes your identity.
But over time, that identity becomes a prison.
The Cost of Carrying Too Much
When strength turns into survival, the cost is high:
- Emotional Exhaustion
- Physical Burnout
- Disconnected Relationships
- Loss of Self
The deeper truth? You learned to deny your own needs because somewhere along the way, needing was dangerous.
Self-Denial: When Suppressing Your Needs Feels Safer Than Honoring Them
This is where self-denial takes root.
You may not even notice you’re doing it. It shows up in subtle ways: dismissing your own feelings, downplaying your dreams, or choosing others’ comfort over your own truth. You push yourself harder. You stay quiet in relationships. You put yourself last.
This self-denial often carries ancestral roots. Many women were raised by mothers or grandmothers who also had to be strong—women who equated softness with weakness, and who coped with abandonment or trauma by suppressing their own needs.
By unconsciously modeling this pattern, we stay “loyal” to the women before us. We carry their pain, thinking if we can just do it right this time, maybe it will finally feel safe.
But true healing happens when we choose something new.
A Real-Life Turning Point
In a recent session, a woman described the exact moment her heart cracked open. She had spent years over-functioning—financially, emotionally, energetically. Her relationship felt like a burden because she was holding all the weight.
During an embodiment exercise, she finally allowed herself to feel the pain beneath the coping. It was grief. Rage. Loneliness. The tears were not just hers—they were unwept tears passed down from generations of women who never got to rest.
And then, something miraculous happened: her body softened. Her breath deepened. That very night, her partner responded differently—tenderly, receptively. Not because he changed, but because she did. The moment she stopped carrying what wasn’t hers, space opened for connection.
From Survival to Softness: A Body-Based Shift
Let’s pause and try something together:
Mini Embodiment Practice: “What Am I Still Carrying?”
- Find a quiet space and sit or lie down comfortably.
- Place one hand on your heart, the other on your lower belly.
- Close your eyes. Breathe into your body. Notice the weight you’re holding.
- Ask gently:“What am I still carrying that doesn’t belong to me?”
“Where does this live in my body?” - Let whatever arises come without judgment—images, emotions, tension, even numbness.
- Simply stay with it. Breathe. Witness.
This is the beginning. Not fixing. Just feeling.
What Healing Looks Like
Healing isn’t a straight line—it’s a spiral. And it doesn’t look like having all the answers. Often, it looks like:
- Crying over something you didn’t think mattered.
- Finally feeling anger at someone you’ve long “forgiven.”
- Letting your body rest even when the to-do list is full.
- Saying no and not apologizing.
- Rearranging your home to reflect who you’re becoming, not who you’ve been.
It’s subtle. And yet, radically life-changing.
The Embodied Woman vs. The Surviving Woman
Here’s what I see in women who begin this work:
| Surviving Woman | Embodied Woman |
|---|---|
| Tight jaw, shallow breath | Relaxed shoulders, open chest |
| Constant planning | Present in the now |
| Needs control | Trusts process |
| Numb or reactive | Responsive and emotionally clear |
| Home feels chaotic or overstuffed | Home reflects clarity and calm |
The Work I Offer
This is why I don’t just offer talk-based sessions. I guide women through layered healing using:
- Energetic Healing to release deep imprints
- Past Life Integration to resolve karmic loops
- Feminine Embodiment to return to the body’s wisdom
- Space Alignment (Feng Shui with intuition) to support the shifts energetically
When your inner and outer worlds are aligned, healing no longer requires force. It begins to flow.
Your Invitation
If you’re tired of carrying it all…
If your body is begging for rest and your spirit is longing for more…
Then this is your call. To return. To feel. To soften. To reclaim.
🌿 Clear the Old. Call in the New.
Visit www.maris-severance.com to explore how we can work together.
You’ve carried enough. Now it’s your time to receive.
Related Reads on the Blog
- 3 Signs You Need a Life Reset
- Why Overachievers Struggle with Boundaries—And How to Fix It
- The Hidden Costs of Overcommitting
- From Overwhelm to Alignment: How to Focus, Declutter, and Thrive
