I was told I was strong more times than I can count.

After Mark died, people said it like it meant I would be okay.

I started to resent it.

Because being called strong felt like expectation.

From the outside, strength looks like holding it together.

But that is survival.

What people do not see is what happens behind the scenes.

Not working.
Not leaving the house.
A much smaller life.

And still being expected to be strong.

Strength can look very different behind the scenes.

In the workplace, this matters.

Because we assume people are coping.

But what looks like strength is often someone trying not to fall apart.

Sometimes the most important thing to say is.

You do not have to be strong here.