When Fierce Meets Gentle: The Struggle of Self-Care

We live in a world that celebrates speed, productivity, and strength.

And I love that.

I thrive in it.

I’m known for my fire, my passion, my motivation.

I love deadlines, tight schedules, and the rush of moving forward.

I have more ideas than I could ever bring to life in one lifetime, and I enjoy pouring my energy into projects, people, and movement.

But there are moments when that fire dims.

When my body and mind remind me that I cannot sustain the pace I demand of myself.

And that’s when self-care becomes not just a nice idea, but a necessity.

The Fierce Version of Me

I love being the one who keeps all the balls in the air:

the athlete,

the mother,

the team leader,

the one with energy to spare.

That fierce version of me makes me feel alive.

When Slowing Down Becomes Essential

And yet, sometimes I am simply tired.

Exhausted even.

My body (and mind) whispers—or shouts—that it’s time to slow down.

To go to bed earlier,

to sleep longer,

to cross off fewer tasks,

to exercise more gently,

to reschedule meetings.

I know this is what helps me regain strength.

But being gentle with myself is often harder than pushing forward.

The strict voices in my head still say:

you’re not strong enough,

not fierce enough.

Choosing Gentleness

Meanwhile, the world keeps rushing.

And I wonder: are we all really keeping up, or are we just pretending?

I want to do things differently.

I want to model gentleness, not just fierceness.

For myself, and for my team.

To make it normal to say, “Right now, it’s too much.” 

Sometimes an hour of rest is enough.

Sometimes it takes days, weeks, or months.

And that is okay.

Why I Share This

I hesitated to write this,

afraid it might make me seem weak or make people worry.

But I am okay.

I don’t write this from a place of crisis.

I write it because I believe we need to talk about it more.

We need to normalize the struggle with self-care in a world that glorifies speed.

Because only when we allow ourselves space for gentleness, can we find our strength again.

What about you? 

How do you notice when it’s time to slow down?

And how do you give yourself permission to rest?