You Don’t Have to Wait to Be Seen

It didn’t happen in one big dramatic moment.
It was slow, more like erosion — quiet, constant.

One day I realised there was nothing holding it all up anymore.
I broke down with work. Not stress. Not needing a break.
Collapse. A complete shutdown.

Fifteen years in the same job. Competent. Reliable.
Until I couldn’t be anymore. That was the crack.

But I kept functioning. Kept showing up. So no one could see it.
Not even me.
I’d been living in survival mode so long it had become my whole operating system — until one day, it stopped working.

Every day felt like a sprint I hadn’t signed up for.
I was always behind, always optimising, always braced.

Even after the crash, I told myself I just needed rest.
But I didn’t bounce back — I broke open.
No plan. No fix. No rescue.
Just me, the rubble, and a realisation:
I couldn’t rebuild myself the same way again.

What Came Next

I didn’t figure it all out.
I just started doing the next right thing.

One breath. One step. One small mercy at a time.

I dropped what I couldn’t carry.
I rested before I hit the wall.
I let joy creep back in - kitchen dancing, car singing, lipstick for no reason.

I wore colours that felt like rebellion.
I stopped waiting to feel ready before being seen.

Because maybe ready never comes.
Maybe healing isn’t a finish line.
Maybe becoming is enough.

Boundaries & Becoming

I started saying no —
even to things I loved,
even to people I wanted to please,
even to versions of myself that once felt like home.

I slowed down because I had to.
Now, I do it because I want to.
This pace feels like honesty.

I’ve always been enough. Even messy, even mid-reboot.

If You’re Here Too

If something in you is whispering yes, hear this:

You don’t have to wait to become before you can be seen.
You don’t have to be healed.
You don’t need a perfect plan.
You don’t need to make your story prettier before you tell it.

You get to be witnessed right now.
Exactly as you are.

You’re not behind.
You’re not broken.
You’re just between versions.

And I see you.

💭 Journal Prompt

Where am I still waiting for “ready,” and what small ways could I let myself be seen now?

When you’re ready to rebuild with systems that protect your energy, explore The Cyber Siren’s Playbook.