Your Healing Journey Will Never Be The Same As Someone Else’s, And That’s Okay

There is not a blueprint on how to heal. Some say to meditate and cleanse your mind and soul and healing will follow, but what if that doesn’t work for you? We are told that healing will come if we will it to, and once we get to the other side, we will be better for it. Sorry, but I am here to tell you that healing is not pretty and that it is not a one-size-fits-all. Healing can be the ugliest chapters in your life that you have ever been through. Healing can be isolating. Healing can make you feel that you will never get over what you are feeling. 

What if I told you the ugliest part of healing can also be the most profound part in your journey? The sleepless nights where you cry yourself to sleep are important to your journey. The pain can be unbearable at times, but that is okay. The pain signifies that you are human and you are allowing yourself to feel. What if I told you the days that you isolate yourself are the days that you need to not run from your feelings but to tackle them head on? It’s okay to sit in the pain. I know that it can be scary and it may make you uncomfortable, but this discomfort can breed something beautiful. You will learn valuable lessons about yourself during this journey that you can apply to all aspects of your life. What if I told you that you may lose people along the way during your healing process? This does not mean that they are bad people, but their part in your journey has changed. You’ve changed, so it is okay if you have grown apart. 

I am sorry to tell you that healing does not happen on a time table. I wish I could tell you after an X amount of time you will be healed, but unfortunately I cannot. I cannot tell you that you will wake up one day and be completely healed. Healing is cyclical. In one moment you can be okay, and the next moment it can be like the traumatic event just occurred. In those moments, lean into your feelings. Acknowledge these feelings, because this is part of your healing. 

Your healing journey will never be the same as someone else’s, and that is okay. The way you travel through this healing journey is unique to you. Please stop comparing your journey to someone else’s journey. The feelings and emotions that you feel are deeper than you think. It is your brain and your soul aligning. These moments should be appreciated. I know your first inclination is to run, and that is normal. Running from the pain is our minds and body signaling to us that we do not feel safe. Sometimes this journey can cause us not to feel unsafe. 

Healing can look like many things. It can be cathartic. It can be releasing. It can be emotional. It can be painful, and it can be ugly. Whichever way you heal is unique to you. My prayer for you is that you heal regardless of what it may look like.