There’s an invisible burden many women carry — the expectation to be everything to everyone.
If a woman is working, society expects her to also manage her home flawlessly. If she focuses on family, she’s told she’s not ambitious enough. If she chases her dreams, she’s labelled selfish. Somewhere in between, her truth, her voice, and her needs get buried.
We’ve normalised a life where a woman must constantly prove her strength — not through joy or creativity, but through sacrifice. She’s applauded for stretching herself thin, for staying silent, for enduring without complaint. But when she pauses — when she finally says, “I need time, I need space, I need rest” — she is met with silence, doubt, or judgment.
I recently found myself in this exact space — trying to hold everything together while my own needs kept falling apart. I asked for a sabbatical to care for my child and myself, and suddenly, I was made to feel like I was asking too much. And yet, it’s the bare minimum every human deserves — time to realign, to heal, to just be.
What hurts most isn’t just the pressure. It’s the lack of emotional support. The unspoken societal rule that says:
> “No matter how exhausted or broken you feel — show up, smile, perform.”
But here’s the truth: Pausing is not weakness. It’s wisdom.
Taking a step back is not quitting. It’s reclaiming your own rhythm.
I dream of a society where choices like these are met with understanding, not assumptions. Where rest is seen as sacred, not lazy. Where self-care is respected, not questioned. And where a woman isn’t constantly balancing the roles of warrior, nurturer, and achiever — all alone.
Until then, I write. I speak. I pause. Not because I have the answers, but because I refuse to stay silent about the weight we carry.
To every woman reading this:
You don’t owe the world endless endurance.
You owe yourself truth, compassion, and freedom.
And if choosing your peace makes others uncomfortable — let it.
Because your soul was not born to survive under pressure.
It was born to live in alignment.
With love,
Eshita Singh
Writer | Seeker | Soul Voice
www.eshitasingh.com