Let’s be honest…women’s strength is the world’s favorite safety net. It’s the invisible glue holding families together, the silent force often behind workplaces running smoothly, and the uncredited emotional labor that keeps relationships afloat. Society loves the image of a strong woman…she is the warrior, the multitasker, the problem-solver. But what if, just for one day, we put that down?
Our society sure does love a strong woman. Heck! The media has carefully constructed this image. She’s the CEO who shatters glass ceilings (and somehow sweeps up the mess), the mom who “effortlessly” juggles work and kids (spoiler: it’s not effortless), and the friend who gives excellent life advice while secretly running on three hours of sleep and caffeine fumes. Strength, apparently, means saying “I got this” even when we’d rather scream into a pillow. She is also given the honour of a “Supermom”.
Imagine a day where women don’t have to be the fixers, the caretakers, the responsible ones. A day where we don’t have to smile through exhaustion and mutter, “It’s fine,” when it’s not, or instinctively pick up after everyone.
The Weight of ‘Strength’
Being called “strong” is often taken as a compliment, but sometimes, it feels like a life sentence. I honestly mean it. Strength, in the way it’s expected of women, isn’t just about resilience—it’s about endurance. It means handling crises without breaking, being emotionally available to everyone, and never letting the cracks show. (Cracks? Who has them? You’re strong!) But here’s the thing: strength isn’t always about holding on. Sometimes, it’s about letting go.
The Permission to Be Soft
What if we swapped resilience for rest? What if, instead of carrying everyone’s burdens, we set them down albeit even temporarily? What if we allowed ourselves to be cared for, to say “I don’t want to deal with this right now,” or to just disappear into a book, a nap, or a long, aimless walk without the burden of guilt?
Imagine a world where Women’s Day wasn’t about celebrating how much we endure but about reclaiming the right not to. No expectations. No emotional acrobatics. Just one day of being present in the moment. Not proving, not managing, not pushing through….just being.
Returning to Feminine Energy
Maybe, instead of pushing ourselves through exhaustion, we sink into “rest”. Instead of leading, we lean back and receive. Instead of proving our worth through constant “doing”, we reconnect with the quiet power of “being”. Feminine energy isn’t weak…it’s deeply restorative, nurturing, and magnetic. It’s the grace of allowing, the wisdom of intuition, and the comfort of softness. And when we embrace it, we don’t just reclaim ourselves…we remind the world that gentleness is just as powerful as grit.
Maybe strength isn’t about how much we take on but about knowing when to put things down. And maybe the bravest thing we can do is stop being strong all the time.
So, here’s my challenge: For Women’s Day, let’s try an experiment. Just one day of guilt-free, responsibility-dodging, self-preservation. Think of it as a social experiment! A study on what happens when women stop picking up the slack and let the world figure itself out.
And if you need help unlearning the “need to be strong” or are unable to break limiting beliefs and habits, write to me at hello@kashmiralad.com. Let’s talk. As an ICF-certified Coach, I help people break free from impossible expectations and rewrite + lay down the rules of their own lives to design their lives. Happy “Doing Absolutely Nothing Day” uh… I mean…Happy Women’s Day.
