Summary
When Everything Feels Breakable
There was a season where my life felt like it was made of glass.
At work, an executive’s family member had suddenly been added to my team as my so-called “collaborator.” He questioned every move I made—sometimes openly, often indirectly.
At home a teen, who lived with us, was having a full-blown mental health crisis. They had already been through more trauma than most adults ever will.
I was navigating: emergency school meetings, therapist calls, sleepless nights, and a family that hovered and whispered, “I don’t know how you do it…”
And all I wanted to scream was, “I DON’T KNOW EITHER.” (Thinking back, I also don’t recall being given any other choice.)
But there was no time to break down. The meetings didn’t stop. The deadlines didn’t pause. The responsibilities didn’t disappear.
What No One Talks About
Sometimes the bravest thing you can do is show up without falling apart. Not because you don’t need help, but because the world doesn’t always offer you space to collapse. And that doesn’t make you cold and it doesn’t make you weak. It makes you a functional survivor.
What Helped Me Function (Without Shattering)
Here’s what I did to keep moving through the chaos without losing myself:
1. I switched from “optimize” to “stabilize”
I stopped chasing peak performance. My goal became: baseline functionality with zero guilt. If it wasn’t urgent or life-affirming? It waited.
2. I cut my daily plan down to 3 things
Not 30. Not 10. Just 3:
1 personal priority
1 work must-do
1 act of compassion (for me or someone I love)
That was enough. That was more than enough.
3. I created micro-routines that grounded me
I’m talking:
- The same mug each morning
- The same candle every night
- The same playlist when I needed to focus
- The same walk, even just around the block
When life feels chaotic, consistency becomes safety.
When You Can’t Break—But You’re Breaking Inside
If this is you right now:
- You’re parenting through trauma
- Working with impossible pressure
- Holding a family together with duct tape and ducted emotions
Then hear this: You are not weak for feeling fragile. You are strong for standing anyway. You don’t have to do it all. You just have to keep your center from falling apart.
What I Want You to Know
You are not fragile. You are carrying fragile things. And that is a radically different kind of strength. The world may never see the load you’re holding. But I do. And I honor it.
Take the next step—not the next 50. Breathe. Repeat what works. And when this moment passes, and it will, you’ll be standing.
Want the Fragile-Day Function Plan?
I created a printable to help you stay grounded when your life feels like glass.
Includes:
- 3-priority daily template
- Micro-routine checklist
- Self-talk prompts for hard days
- One bold reminder: You’re not fragile. You’re carrying fragile things.
Remember…
You don’t need to prove anything. You’re already doing the impossible.
—Sterling Phoenix
