🩺 Some Days I’m the Strong One. Some Days I’m Just Holding On.

I’ve worked 14-hour shifts and only gotten one bathroom break.
I’ve cleaned messes no one warned me about.
I’ve carried grief in one hand and a lunch tray in the other.
I’ve stayed calm during a rapid response, then cried quietly in the break room because it reminded me of someone I knew.

So why does a simple Tuesday feel so impossible?

Why does laundry feel like a mountain?
Why does dinner feel like defusing a bomb?

I used to shame myself for this.
“I’ve survived worse,” I’d say. “Why is this making me crumble?”

But I’ve learned something:
Just because I’ve done harder things doesn’t mean I’m not allowed to feel tired now.
Just because I’ve weathered the storm doesn’t mean I’m not still soaked.
I can be strong and still be human.
I can be capable and still say, “This is a lot.”

Maybe you’re like me.
Maybe you’ve been the strong one for so long, you forgot how to be soft with yourself.

So this is our reminder —
We’re allowed to rest.
We’re allowed to fall apart, a little.
We’re allowed to call today hard, even if yesterday was harder.

And we’re allowed to start again tomorrow.

P.S.

Ever had a day where you pushed through… but secretly wished someone would tell you not to?

We’d love to hear your story — whether it’s heavy, light, or somewhere in between.
Drop it in the comments, or email us at stories@pagingapparel.com if you’d like us to share it on the blog. We’re happy to post anonymously.

Let’s make space for nurses to be real — not just strong.

— Still Standing in Crocs