Blog 6: Coffee at the Cliff – When Living Is the Bravest Thing You Can Do
8 part Series: Fly You Fools – A Journey Through Burnout, Hope, and Coming Home
By Dr. Brooke Jones | Founder, Stronger than Espresso® | www.strongerwomen.com
“And the sky is not the limit if there are footprints on the moon.”
— Anonymous
“If a person is standing on a cliff, don’t talk them down. Sit with them. Bring coffee. Remind them how much they’re loved.”
— Dr. Brooke Jones
☕ Opening Metaphor: Coffee at the Cliff
This blog isn’t about how we save others. It’s about how we save ourselves. Or more honestly—how we don’t jump when no one else sees we’re standing at the edge.
There’s a silence only the burned-out caregiver knows. When you’ve carried other people’s pain for too long. When the vicarious trauma has scorched your spirit. When you can name the hotline number faster than your own healing need.
This is the place I call the cliff. And this blog is the cup of coffee you bring there. It’s warmth in your hands when your soul goes numb. It’s ritual. Scent. Hope.
🎧 Soundtrack for This Chapter: BREAD Songs of Survival
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“Baby I’m-a Want You” – A deep cry for connection, for needing to be seen and held without shame.
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“It Don’t Matter to Me” – The fatigue of caring, of losing yourself to other people’s needs.
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“Sweet Surrender” – The moment you give in—not to despair, but to healing.
These are the lyrics of those who’ve lost love, lost identity, lost the will to keep pretending. This music wraps around the inner ache of burnout and invites us gently: Come back.
🕯️ Vicarious Trauma and the Cliff of Care
In Trauma Stewardship, Laura van Dernoot Lipsky describes what happens when we carry trauma without care for our own soul. We become overwhelmed, numb, or worse—self-harming in ways we’d never allow our clients to endure.
I have a 9 out of 10 ACE (Adverse Childhood Experiences) score. My pre-loaded trauma made me the perfect candidate for helping others—and the perfect candidate for soul burnout. Many of you reading this have similar scores. We are the wounded healers. But even wounded, we don’t have to disappear.
The cliff doesn’t mean you’re weak. It means you’ve walked too long without water.
💛 Hope Is the Skill of Survivors
The Science of Hope teaches us something life-saving: Hope can be learned. In the darkest seasons of my own cliffside nights, I stopped waiting for hope to show up. I started practicing it:
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Set tiny goals – Eat one meal. Sleep 3 hours. Text a friend.
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Name one pathway – I made a list of safe people and warm places.
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Hold willpower with help – I reached out even when I didn’t feel worthy.
And above all—I refused to jump. I brewed coffee. I sat down. I waited for sunrise.
📖 Faith on the Ledge
“The Lord is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit.”
— Psalm 34:18
The cliff is not your destination. It’s your pause. Your reset. Even here, God is near. Even now, love breathes beside you.
☕ Takeaway Tips – 4 Things to Do When You’re at the Cliff
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Don’t isolate. Text one person and say, “I’m struggling. I don’t need advice—just presence.”
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Make your space safe. Remove harmful objects. Hide pills. Let someone safeguard your environment.
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Start a hope journal. One sentence a day: “Today, I chose to stay.”
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Create a Soul Safety Kit. Include music, scents, comforting items, hotline numbers, and Scripture.
🧠 If You’re in Danger Right Now
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Call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline: 1-800-273-TALK (8255)
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Text HOME to 741741 for the Crisis Text Line
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You are not alone. You are not beyond saving. You are not unworthy of help.
💬 Final Word
You don’t have to fly off the cliff. You don’t have to jump or fake your way forward. You can sit. You can breathe. You can wait with your coffee and your courage. And one day, you’ll realize—you never needed to fly away.
You were always being held.
Download the companion QRG and Hope Resources at:
📲 www.strongerwomen.com/resources
📧 [email protected]
🔗 @strongerwomenofficial
🎶 Songs by BREAD used for educational and inspirational purposes.
