Creating Safety After Chronic Stress and Emotional Overload
Retreat Intention
This workshop offers a sacred pause for Black women who have learned to armour themselves in order to survive. Held, Not Hardened centres the nervous system, the body, and the need for safety after prolonged stress, emotional labour, and hypervigilance. Participants are invited to soften- not by force, but by being held in compassion, choice, and care.
What To Expect
Understanding how chronic stress shapes emotional responses and self-protection
Identifying patterns of hardening, shutdown, or constant alertness
Learning what safety feels like in the body—not just in the mind
Practicing self-soothing and regulation without self-judgment
Releasing the belief that vigilance equals strength
Outcomes:
From armour → safety
From hypervigilance → grounding
From emotional overload → regulation
From isolation → being held (by self and community)
Healing Practices Include:
Nervous-system education grounded in lived experience
Somatic grounding and breath practices
Safe-touch or self-holding exercises (opt-in and consent-based)
Guided visualization of safety and support
Collective reflection with clear boundaries
Who This Is For
Black women navigating exhaustion, emotional numbness, reactivity, or overwhelm—who are ready to feel supported without needing to explain or defend their softness.
Retreat Affirmation:
I do not need to harden to be safe. I am allowed to be held. My body knows the way back to ease.