Coming Back to Yourself

Sometimes you’re so deep in the day-to-day that you don’t even realize you’ve left yourself behind. You’re showing up, doing all the things, saying yes, holding it down… but something’s off. You don’t feel like you. Not fully. Not lately. This pause is about coming back to yourself as a Black woman when everything around you has made it easy to forget who you are.

is about coming home to yourself when the world has pulled you in too many directions and you’ve gone quiet in your own life. It’s not about fixing anything. It’s not about starting over. It’s just about telling the truth — to yourself first — and letting that truth bring you back home.

If you’ve been tired, disconnected, or just doing what you have to do to get through the day, this is your reminder: you still get to choose you. You still get to check in. You still get to return to what feels real.

So go ahead. Take a few minutes. Sit with it.
And come back to you.

Got a story about what it’s cost you to be the strong one? We’re collecting real, lived stories for the 26 Black Women Storytelling Series, and we want to hear yours.

Submit your story here → https://forms.gle/VsfFMjNjMt6eVLJp7

Come back every weekday for a new Support Pause — short, soul-soothing reflections made just for you.

About Shades of Strong®
Shades of Strong® is a space where Black women come to breathe, reflect, and reclaim strength without the struggle. Support Pauses are short, soulful reminders that you don’t have to carry it all alone. New episodes drop every weekday.

• 26 Black Women Storytelling Series
• Schedule a 1:1 Support Session
• Get the Guide: “You Know Your Support Language™—Now What?”
• Take the Support Language™ Quiz. and learn how you actually receive support best.
• Get Support Right in Your Inbox: Gentle words, real-life reflection, and soft reminders every week  

Let’s Stay Connected:

• Subscribe to Shades of Strong on Apple Podcasts or your favorite platform
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• www.shadesofstrong.com

Shirl  is the creator of Support Languages™ and host of Shades of Strong® — a movement shifting the narrative from Strong Black Woman to Supported Black Woman™ through language, rest, and real support.