It costs energy—the kind your body needs to rest and repair. It costs peace—the quiet that allows your nervous system to settle. It costs trust—in y
It costs energy—
the kind your body needs to rest and repair.
It costs peace—
the quiet that allows your nervous system to settle.
It costs trust—
in yourself, in your knowing, in your memory.
It costs joy—
because joy cannot thrive under interrogation.
It costs time—
time that belongs to your healing, not your defense.
Being forced to explain yourself again and again
teaches the mind to doubt
and trains the body to stay tense.
That tension is not who you are.
It is a response to being questioned too often.
Gentle Reminders for Black Women
You do not have to defend your reality to deserve care.
Your lived experience is already valid.
Rest is not avoidance—it is wisdom.
Choosing peace is not weakness—it is protection.
You are allowed to step away from conversations that drain you.
Affirmation
I trust my knowing.
I release the need to prove my life to anyone.
I choose care over explanation.
I choose rest over defense.
I am allowed to protect my peace.
Take a breath here.
Your body has carried enough.
You are not required to convince anyone of what you already live.