Are You Ready to Put It Down?

There’s a question I’ve been coming back to a lot lately.

What are you carrying right now that isn’t yours?

Because if you really stop and think about it, most of us are holding onto way more than we need to be.

We’re carrying stress that belongs to someone else.

We’re carrying problems that aren’t ours to solve.We’re holding onto things because we think we should.

We are trying to figure everything out for someone else.

And it’s heavy.

You can feel it.

In your shoulders.

In your chest.

That tight, anxious pressure that doesn’t really go away.

The pain that remains constant.

The racing thoughts that aren’t really yours.

What would happen if you put some of it down?

Even just for a little while.  Are you able to do it?  Has panic set it at the thought of putting it down?

Not getting rid of it forever. Not ignoring it completely.

Just setting it down.

Giving yourself space.

If you have something weighing on you:  money stress, a long to-do list, something going on with someone else, what would it look like to say:

“I’m going to put this here for an hour.”

“I’m going to be present with my friend, my spouse, my kids.”

“I’ll come back to it later if I need to.”

Because you can pick it back up.

But you don’t have to carry it every second of the day.

You experience a level of relief that is unfamiliar to you.  A lightness. 

There are also moments where you realize something deeper.

It was never yours to carry in the first place.  

Maybe someone else is going through something, and you’ve taken it on as your own.

Maybe your kids are dealing with something, and you feel like you have to hold it all for them.

And yes, we want to support the people we love.

But there’s a difference between supporting and carrying everything…. having it become a part of our identity.  

That’s something I’ve had to learn over time.  

My daughter became paralyzed 13 years ago. 

There was a long period where I had to be deeply involved in everything. EVERYTHING. But now, she’s in a place where she’s capable. She has support. She doesn’t need me in the same way.

And learning to separate—to say, “I’m here, but I don’t have to carry all of this”—has been freeing.

Jana Sue, with her daughters, Mother's Day 2026

It allowed me to reclaim parts of myself.

My identity.  My mental health. The lightness.

And I see this with so many people.

They’re exhausted, not just because of what they’re doing, but because of what they’re holding.

So, I’ll ask you again:

What are you carrying that isn’t yours?

And what can you put down

Even just for today?