When You’re Afraid of Being a Burden
A few weeks ago, my one-year-old son got sick. Not the kind of sick where you just need an extra nap, but the kind where they want to be held all day, can’t sleep without you near, and everything on your to-do list suddenly takes a back seat.
I had to cancel sessions with clients. Fit doctor appointments between naps. Let the laundry pile up. Skip cleaning during nap time because he only slept if I was holding him.
By definition, it was a burden. It took time, energy, and sacrifice. But the strange thing is...I wanted to be the one to care for him.
Even when I was tired and behind on everything, there was nowhere else I wanted to be. It didn’t feel like an inconvenience - it felt like love.
And it made me think about something I hear from so many of my clients:
“I don’t want to be a burden.”
They tell me about hiding how much they’re struggling because they don’t want to weigh anyone down. They fear being “too much.” So they hold it all together on the outside…smiling, showing up, doing all the things, while quietly falling apart inside.
But here’s what that week with my son reminded me: caring for someone you love isn’t a burden. It’s a privilege.
If someone else had stepped in to care for him, it would have taken that privilege away from me. The chance to comfort him, to be the person he reached for.
I wonder if sometimes, when we hold back our struggles to avoid “being a burden,” we’re actually taking something away from the people who love us. The chance for them to show up. To feel trusted. To give back the care they’ve maybe already received from us.
It’s true - love costs something. It costs time, energy, rearranged schedules. But most of us want to love the people we care about in real, tangible ways.
So maybe the next time you feel like you’re “too much” or worry that you’re burdening someone...you could imagine how you feel caring for a loved one when they are sick. It can be tiring, yes, but deeply meaningful.
Maybe it’s okay to let someone love you like that, too.
