Carrying On, Even When You Wanted Relief Dear Tired Mom: when your body hurts and life keeps moving

On disappointing appointments, invisible exhaustion, and still showing up

Today, I wanted relief.

Maybe not even answers—just relief.

A moment where someone looked at me and said:

“I see it. I see how tired you are. I see how hard this has been.”

Instead, I left with more waiting.

More “let’s monitor it.”
More “try this.”
More uncertainty wrapped in medical language.

And if I’m honest?

I sat in my feelings for a moment and thought:

Whatever. I’ll just log into work and carry on.

Because that’s what tired women do, right?

We carry on.

We carry schedules.
We carry motherhood.
We carry invisible exhaustion.
We carry responsibilities while quietly wondering when our body stopped feeling like home.

Sometimes we carry pain so silently that no one realizes how heavy it has become.

The kind of tired that sleep doesn’t fix.

The kind of exhaustion that sits in your bones.

The kind that makes you wonder if anyone really understands how hard you’re trying.

And maybe the hardest part of all?

Feeling dismissed when you finally gather the courage to say:

Something doesn’t feel right.

When you finally advocate for yourself.
Write the list.
Track the symptoms.
Show up hopeful.

Only to leave still hurting.

But tonight, I’m reminding myself of something:

Carrying on does not mean I’m okay.

It doesn’t mean I’m not disappointed.
It doesn’t mean I’m weak for wanting relief.
It doesn’t mean my pain is imaginary.

Sometimes carrying on simply means:

I cried a little.

I drank my water.

I logged into work.

I forwarded the labs.

I advocated for myself again.

Not perfectly.
Not loudly.
Not without sadness.

But I kept going.

And maybe that counts as strength too.

If you’re carrying something invisible today—grief, exhaustion, pain, uncertainty, disappointment—

I hope you know this:

You are not weak for wanting relief.

And carrying on does not mean you have to pretend it doesn’t hurt.

🤎
With softness,
Daquana Cartier | The Whispered Word by DC