What happens when you become the person who holds everything together?

In this episode of Grow As I Go, Amy is joined by author, speaker and mental health advocate Sarah Rosse to unpack the invisible mental load carried by so many mothers, caregivers and people supporting loved ones through difficult seasons.

Sarah shares her deeply personal journey supporting her son through mental illness, ADHD and a suicide attempt, and the emotional weight of trying to keep life functioning while quietly falling apart inside.

Together, Amy and Sarah explore the pressure to “keep it together”, why asking for help can feel so difficult, the importance of sharing your story, and how journaling can help process emotions and make sense of overwhelming experiences.

In this episode:

• Understanding the invisible mental load and why it can be so exhausting.
• Why caregivers often prioritise everyone else’s emotions before their own.
• The link between mental health, caregiving and emotional burnout.
• How journaling can help organise thoughts, process feelings and reduce overwhelm.
• Why you don’t have to wait until you’re completely broken before asking for support.

Timestamps

00:42 - What is the invisible mental load and why so many people silently carry it.

04:47 - Sarah’s experience of hypervigilance, emotional exhaustion and never being able to switch off.

14:42 - How journaling became a tool to process emotions and make sense of overwhelming experiences.

27:23 - Sarah’s message to anyone carrying too much: “You don’t have to carry it alone.”

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