It’s one thing to be tired. It’s another thing to feel invisible.
Lately, I’ve been doing everything I know how to do. I’m posting, building, creating, and showing up. Still, it feels like I’m operating just outside the edges of everyone’s attention. I keep doing the work, but none of it quite lands. I keep hoping something will catch. The silence is louder than anything I’ve made.
It’s not about applause. It never really has been. But when you give so much of yourself, including your time, energy, and creativity, and the return is minimal at best, it’s hard not to feel like you’re fading into the background.
When everything feels stuck
I’ve hit a plateau in more ways than one.
The scale won’t move, even though I’ve been putting in the effort. My income hasn’t changed much, despite months of work across two businesses. Mentally, I feel like I’m moving through fog.
There’s also the noise that comes from being surrounded by people with big personalities. The ones who take up space without noticing anyone else in the room. They speak first. They speak loudest. Somehow, they’re always the ones being heard. I’m still here, trying to build something real and steady, but it feels like I’m constantly being overlooked.
It’s draining. Not because I expect the spotlight, but because I’m tired of having to work so hard just to be seen at all.
Still moving
Even with all of this, I haven’t stopped. It’s not because I’m feeling hopeful. It’s just what I do.
I still get up. I still write posts. I still plan bakery menus. I still share tools, create content, and show up for a job that pays the bills, even if it isn’t the one I want forever.
An old advisor once told me to get up, dress up, and show up. It stuck with me, not because it was deep, but because it’s something I can still manage. Even on the days when everything else feels out of reach, I can still do that.
Most days, that has to be enough.
There’s no bow on this
This isn’t the moment where everything changes. There are no breakthroughs here. Just something honest.
I’m tired. I’m working hard. I’m doing what I can. Right now, it doesn’t feel like it’s being met with much in return.
But I’m still here. I’m still creating. I’m still planting seeds, even though I won’t see them bloom for a while.
That isn’t failure. It’s just the part of the process people don’t talk about.
A little borrowed peace
There’s a quote I’ve been holding onto.
“Worrying doesn’t take away tomorrow’s troubles. It takes away today’s peace.”
Peace feels rare lately. I don’t want to keep giving it away just because I’m afraid that my work isn’t paying off fast enough. So I’m trying to let myself rest in the doing. Even when no one claps. Even when the numbers don’t move. Even when the progress is invisible to everyone but me.
What to do when you’re in this place
If this feels familiar, if you’re in a stretch where you’re doing the work and still feel invisible, I hope you’ll pause for a second. Acknowledge how heavy it all feels. Then keep going with whatever’s in front of you.
Here’s what’s been helping me:
- Keep a done list. Don’t track what you didn’t finish. Track what you did. Let it add up.
- Turn down the noise. Log out. Mute people. Unfollow accounts. Do what helps you hear yourself again.
- Make something just for you. Don’t post it. Don’t monetize it. Just make it because it feels good.
- Finish one small thing. One task. One piece of progress. One win you can hold onto.
You don’t need to feel visible to be valuable. You don’t need to be noticed to be strong. You are allowed to keep building quietly.
And if all you did today was continue, that counts.
xoxo
-S
Diet Coke and Hair-Spray 