Paint Yourself Fierce Series: Uncovered Part 2

The Version of Me That Survived.....

There’s a version of me…

that doesn’t get talked about enough.

Not the strong one you see.

Not the put-together one people praise.

But the one who survived.

The one who learned how to keep going

even when stopping felt easier.

The one who figured things out

without having the space to fall apart.

She Didn’t Have the Option to Break

That version of me didn’t have the luxury of being soft.

She had to be strong.

Not because she wanted to…

but because life demanded it.

She learned how to:

• push through exhaustion

• smile through pain

• carry weight no one else could see

And she did it so well!

that people started to believe that was all she was....

Strong.

Unshakable.

Always okay.

But strength can be deceiving.

Because what people call strength…

is sometimes just survival in disguise.

Survival Mode Became My Identity

I didn’t even realize when it happened.

When surviving stopped being temporary…

and started becoming who I was.

I became the one people leaned on.

The one who had answers.

The one who held it together.

And don’t get me wrong

there’s power in that.

But there’s also pressure.

Because when you’re always the strong one,

you don’t always get to be the honest one.

You don’t get to say: “I’m tired.”

“I don’t have it today.”

“I need help too.”

So instead… you adjust.

You adapt.

You keep going.

Even when you’re running on empty.

No One Talks About What It Costs

Survival kept me alive.

But it also cost me parts of myself.

It cost me softness.

It cost me rest.

It cost me the ability to feel without immediately pushing it down.

Because when you’ve trained yourself to “get through it,”

you don’t always know how to sit in it.

You don’t know how to: pause

process

or even admit that something hurt you

You just… move.

And eventually,

you get so used to moving forward

that you forget to check on what’s still broken.

I Honor Her… But I’m Not Staying There

Here’s the truth I’m learning:

I don’t hate the version of me that survived.

I honor her ❤️

She got me through things

I didn’t think I’d make it through.

She protected me.

She carried me.

She held me together when I felt like falling apart.

But…

I’m not meant to stay her!

Because survival is a season

not a permanent identity.

And I’m realizing that there’s more to me than just making it through.

There’s a Version of Me That Deserves to Live! Not just survive!

Live.

Feel.

Rest.

Be held.

Be seen.

A version of me that doesn’t have to earn love through strength. That doesn’t have to hide pain behind a smile. That doesn’t have to carry everything alone.

And if I’m being honest…

That version feels unfamiliar.

Maybe even uncomfortable.

But I’m learning her 🥰

Slowly.

Gently.

Honestly.

If You’ve Been in Survival Mode Too…

If you’ve been the strong one for everyone…

If you’ve carried things quietly…

If you’ve learned how to survive without being seen…

I need you to hear this:

You don’t have to stay in survival mode forever.

You’re allowed to rest.

You’re allowed to feel.

You’re allowed to need.

And most importantly—

You’re allowed to become someone

who isn’t just surviving…

but actually living.

This Is Me, Becoming More...

I’m still grateful for who I had to be.

But I’m making space

for who I’m becoming.

Because there’s a version of me

beyond survival…

And I’m finally ready to meet her.