Tag: Emotional Labour
-
Why saying no feels unsafe when you’re the one everyone leans on.
“I would never have missed it for anything in the world!” To many reading the social media post that had this statement, it looked like a harmless message on the surface – but to me, it was a dismissal of something very serious that had happened to me. My crime? I had decided to not…
-
It Takes a Village — But Who Holds the Village Up?
“She has nobody” These were the words I heard from my brother when I had already said no to my sister. I changed my mind and plans to accommodate everyone again – because I love them. Became the babysitter again – the children love me and I do love them so much. So last week,…
-
Am I Auditioning?
“How come I am the one everyone wants around but never enough to be chosen?” These were words from a creator on TikTok. And I felt them. I knew the feeling too well and this TikTok creator had put words to it perfectly – so much so that it stopped my mindless scrolling. I was…
-
The Strong Black Woman Is Tired: Why Survival Is Not a Superpower
“Help me.” From the outside, it looked like strength. Inside, it was survival. In this piece, I reflect on the hidden fatigue behind the Strong Black Woman label and what it means to stop performing resilience for the comfort of others. If you’ve ever been the one expected to hold everything together, this reflection is…
-
The Dignity of Bitterness.
When women speak honestly about disappointment, imbalance, and loss, they are often branded “bitter.” This essay reflects on how that word is used to silence women — especially those who dare to warn others from lived experience — and asks what we lose when we refuse to listen.
Koya Nkrumah 