When Life Changes, But the Weight Gets Heavier
- Nada Johnson
- Jan 13
- 4 min read
Quiet exhaustion does not always begin with a crisis.
For many high-achieving women of colour and Black women, emotional overload often begins during life transitions that are supposed to feel meaningful, manageable, or simply part of
adulthood.
Marriage.
Pregnancy.
Separation or divorce.
The illness or death of a parent.
The loss of a partner, spouse, or loved one.
Grief that arrives while responsibilities continue.
From the outside, life may appear stable or even successful.
Internally, however, emotional overload can deepen quietly, especially when major changes are layered onto existing stress.
This is not a personal failing. It is what can happen when too much is carried for too long.
✨ When Life Transitions Add to an Already Full Load
Life transitions require emotional energy. They ask us to adjust our identities, routines, relationships, and expectations.
For many women, these transitions are not happening in isolation. They are layered onto:
✔️ chronic workplace stress and high responsibility
✔️ pressure to remain competent, composed, and productive
✔️ managing perception and overperforming
✔️ imposter syndrome and persistent self-doubt
✔️ family conflict, especially mother–daughter or sibling (sisters) dynamics
✔️ cultural expectations to remain strong, silent, or self-sacrificing
When change is added to an already full emotional load, the nervous system rarely has space to recover.
Many women continue functioning.
They keep showing up.
They take care of others.
And quietly, emotional exhaustion deepens.
✨ When Emotional Overload Begins to Feel Like Hopelessness
Over time, sustained stress and unprocessed life transitions can begin to shift how women feel internally.
Not dramatically.
Not in ways others can easily see.
But quietly.
Some women describe:
🌫️ a constant sense of heaviness
🌫️ feeling emotionally flat or disconnected
🌫️ exhaustion that rest does not resolve
🌫️ difficulty imagining relief or change
🌫️ a sense of being stuck
🌫️ thoughts such as, “I don’t know how much longer I can keep doing this.”
These experiences may include passive suicidal thoughts, not because someone wants to die, but because they want the pressure, pain, or emotional weight to stop.
It is important to name this clearly and with care:
Suicidal thoughts are signals of overwhelm, not personal failure.
They are understandable responses to sustained stress, grief, and emotional depletion, especially when someone has been carrying too much alone.
✨ Why High-Achieving Women Often Delay Support
Many women delay seeking help during major life changes because:
🪞 They believe they should be able to handle it
🪞 They minimize their distress because others “have it worse.”
🪞 They are used to being the reliable one
🪞 They fear judgment or being misunderstood
🪞 They feel responsible for holding everything together
But functioning is not the same as being well.
Coping quietly is not the same as healing.
Support is not only for moments of crisis.
Support is protective.
✨ Support Earlier, Not Later
At NJCCS, therapy is not framed as a last resort.
It is a culturally responsive, trauma-informed space where women can slow down, speak honestly, and explore what they have been carrying, without needing to explain, justify, or minimize their experiences.
In therapy, women navigating life transitions often begin to:
🌿 process grief and loss at their own pace
🌿 understand how sustained stress has affected their body and mind
🌿 release the pressure to always be “the strong one.”
🌿 untangle self-doubt and internalized expectations
🌿 rebuild clarity, confidence, and emotional balance
🌿 feel supported before distress deepens
Support does not take away strength.
It helps restore it.
✨ A Gentle Invitation
If a life transition has left you feeling emotionally overloaded, quietly hopeless, or weighed down by responsibilities you have been carrying alone, support is available.
I offer a warm, thoughtful, and steady therapeutic space where clients often share that they feel deeply supported, understood, and cared for. My approach is collaborative, grounded, and paced with respect for your story and your nervous system.
You are welcome to book a complimentary 10-minute consultation to explore whether this support is the right fit for you.
You do not have to carry this alone.
With warmth,
Nada Johnson, MSW, RSW
Registered Social Worker, Psychotherapist / trained Family Mediator / EMDR Trained Therapist / Certified Racial Trauma Clinician / Mental Health & Sexual Violence Consultant / Professional Speaker
🌍 Website: www.nadajohnsonservices.com
📩 Contact: info@nadajohnsonservices.com
Nada Johnson Consulting & Counselling Services – Online phone and video sessions available
Village Healing Centre: 240 Roncesvalles Avenue
Please share this post to support another woman who may be quietly carrying too much alone. 🤝
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