Healing is not linear

We often enter the healing journey with quiet hope. Hope that we’ll feel better soon. Hope that the tears will stop, the past will loosen its grip, and we’ll finally feel light again. But as days turn into weeks, and weeks into months, many of us come to a painful realisation:

Healing doesn’t follow a straight line.

It loops.It pauses.It climbs and collapses.And sometimes, it feels like it disappears altogether — right when we thought we were finally getting somewhere.

If this sounds familiar, let me reassure you:There’s nothing wrong with you.You’re not broken. You’re not failing.You’re just healing — in all its messy, sacred, beautiful complexity.

📉 The Myth of Upward Progress

We live in a world that idolises progress. Get better. Be stronger. Move on.But the truth is, when it comes to trauma, grief, or deep emotional wounds, healing isn’t about constant forward motion — it’s about learning how to return to yourself again and again, no matter how many times you lose your way.

You might:

• Feel confident one day and collapse into self-doubt the next

• Forgive someone in your heart, only to feel a surge of anger months later

• Speak your truth in one moment and go silent in the next

None of these are signs that you’re going backwards. They’re signs that you’re human, and your body, mind, and soul are moving through layers — at a pace they can handle.

🌱 Your Healing Has Seasons

Just like nature, healing has its seasons:

• Spring – Moments of growth, insight, new energy

• Summer – Joy, confidence, feeling safe again

• Autumn – Letting go, releasing what no longer serves

• Winter – Stillness, sadness, grief, reflection

You’re not meant to stay in Spring all the time. And Winter doesn’t mean the end — it’s the quiet groundwork of transformation.

🕊️ Be Gentle With Yourself

If today you feel tired, angry, numb, or unsure — it’s okay. Healing is not about becoming a version of yourself that never struggles. It’s about becoming someone who can hold your struggles with compassion.

You don’t have to get it right. You don’t have to rush. You’re allowed to sit with your pain, and still be healing.

💛 A Final Reminder

Healing is not a destination — it’s a relationship. With yourself. With your story. With what you’re learning to feel, forgive, and let go of.

So when you find yourself spiraling into old patterns or wondering “Why am I feeling this again?” — pause.

Breathe. Place your hand on your heart. And whisper:This too is part of the journey.

You are not behind. You are not broken. You are healing — and that, in itself, is brave.