Feeling Lost in Midlife? Reclaim Yourself After Divorce, Burnout, or Motherhood in Reno, NV
“You weren’t lazy. You weren’t weak.
You were under a spell.
And the kiss that woke you wasn’t his. It was yours.”
There’s a version of you that got left behind.
Not all at once—but slowly, in small, quiet ways.
Every time you said, “I’m fine.”
Every time you let something go because it wasn’t worth the argument.
Every time you stayed up late managing the unspoken, unpaid, invisible labor of love.
You didn’t fall asleep like Sleeping Beauty.
You were put to sleep—by duty, by survival, by the unrelenting pull to care for everyone but yourself.
And now, something in you is stirring.
You’re starting to realize: this isn’t sustainable.
You’re starting to wonder: where did I go?
💤 The Spell No One Saw
The fairy tale says she pricked her finger and fell into a hundred-year sleep.
But the real-life version? It sounds more like this:
- “I used to love painting, but I can’t remember the last time I picked up a brush.”
- “I’m so tired, even when I sleep.”
- “I feel like a ghost in my own life.”
You didn’t choose to fall asleep to yourself.
The spell came in the form of over-responsibility, people-pleasing, over-functioning, and always being the one who held it all together.
You were the wife who kept the calendar.
The mom who anticipated needs before they were spoken.
The partner who supported someone else’s dreams while yours quietly faded into the background.
You smiled in photos. You made the appointments. You kept the peace.
And somewhere in all that…
You forgot what it feels like to be fully alive.
🏰 The Overgrown Castle
In the story, the castle becomes covered in thorns and silence.
You know that feeling too.
- You’re surrounded by people, but you feel profoundly alone.
- You have a beautiful home, but it feels like a set.
- You keep functioning—packing lunches, sending emails, responding to texts—but inside, it’s like something stopped.
And no one noticed.
Because you’re so good at making it look okay.
💋 The Kiss That Actually Matters
The fairy tale calls it “true love’s kiss.”
But what if that kiss was never about him?
What if the kiss—the real one—was your own return to yourself?
Maybe it’s happening already:
- You said no to something you used to say yes to just to avoid conflict.
- You caught a glimpse of yourself in the mirror and thought, I miss her.
- You left a marriage, or a job, or a version of yourself that required you to stay small.
Maybe your awakening isn’t loud.
Maybe it’s a whisper.
But it’s enough to crack the spell.
🔥 What Awakening Feels Like
It’s not always graceful.
Sometimes, it feels like rage. Or grief. Or a fog lifting.
Sometimes it sounds like:
- “I can’t do this anymore.”
- “This isn’t who I am.”
- “I don’t want to feel invisible for the rest of my life.”
And other times, it sounds like:
- “I want more.”
- “I’m allowed to take up space.”
- “Maybe this doesn’t have to be my forever.”
You’re not having a midlife crisis.
You’re having a midlife reclamation.
🌱 The Return
In the story, when the spell lifts, the entire kingdom wakes up.
That’s what happens when you come back to yourself.
Everything starts to move again.
But this time—you’re at the center of it.
Not as the rescuer. Not as the caretaker.
But as the woman who remembers who she is.
You start dreaming again.
You start laughing, resting, wanting.
You let yourself be seen. Not for what you do. But for who you are.
🪞Reflection Prompts (Just for You)
If this story touches something in you, here are a few questions to gently ask:
- What part of me had to go dormant just to get through the last ten years?
- What were the thorns I grew to protect myself?
- What does my real awakening look like—not the fantasy, but the real, raw, human version?
- If I kissed myself awake today, what truth would I finally say out loud?
💬 From a Therapist Who Gets It
I’ve sat with so many women—strong, smart, wildly capable—who say:
“I don’t even know what I want anymore.”
“I should be grateful, but I feel numb.”
“It’s like I disappeared inside my own life.”
If you’re feeling this too—please know: you’re not broken, and you’re not alone.
This awakening is sacred. And while it’s absolutely yours to claim, you don’t have to do it alone.
Having someone walk beside you—who sees what’s been lost, who holds space as you begin to remember, who helps you reimagine what comes next—can make all the difference.
🕊️ A Place to Begin Again
Therapy can be your map, your mirror, your warm and honest companion through the thorns and back to yourself.
You don’t have to figure this all out in silence.
You don’t have to untangle years of self-abandonment alone.
And you’re not wrong for wanting help—you’re wise for reaching for it.
Your awakening is already underway.
Let’s make sure you don’t go back to sleep.
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