The Healing Timeline No One Talks About

We love a good before and after story, don’t we?

It’s comforting to think that healing is a straight line: we’re in pain, we find a solution, we do the work, and we’re better. We’re fixed. The symptoms are gone, the bad habits are behind us, and we get to move on with our life.

But the truth? Healing doesn’t work like that.

And when no one tells you that… it’s easy to think you’re doing something wrong.

I remember early in my own healing journey thinking, “One day, I won’t have these problems anymore.” One day, I’ll wake up and not feel anxious. One day, I’ll stop procrastinating or catastrophizing all day. One day, I won’t have these gut issues. One day, I’ll finally feel like I’m doing life “right.”

And while I’ve come a long way, here’s the honest truth: I still have moments where those old patterns creep back in.

I still get overwhelmed.
I still feel the urge to numb out.
I still have days when my thoughts feel heavy and loud.

But now… I have the tools. And that changes everything.

Healing Isn’t About “Fixing” Yourself. It’s About Learning What You Need.

When you’ve had a nervous system that’s been dysregulated for a long time, even once you’ve learned to regulate, it’s like having a weak area in your body. Maybe you’ve injured your back, your shoulder, or your knee in the past. You’ve done the rehab, built up strength, and now it rarely bothers you.

But when you’re stressed? When you’ve been slacking on your self-care or overdoing it? That old injury is often the first place you feel it.

Our nervous system and coping habits are no different. They’re not evidence that we’re broken — they’re signs that we’re human.

When life gets hard, our body and brain naturally reach for the things that once brought us relief. Even if those things aren’t helpful anymore. And I get it, it’s frustrating to hear that these tendencies don’t magically disappear. But it’s very different when you have tools in place to address it. And after a while, it is like they’re gone, because they don’t plague you the way they always have. 

I still have anxiety at times, but it’s nothing like it once was. Anxiety doesn’t scare me anymore. My heart racing doesn’t scare me anymore, because I understand what it is, why it’s happening, and I have the tools to address it. It’s fleeting, I know it’s not sticking around. 

I don’t live with anxiety anymore, and that’s a huge difference. 

Healing isn’t the absence of hard moments. Healing is knowing what to do when they happen.

Old Habits Die Easy (and That’s Not a Bad Thing)

Your habits exist for a reason.

That nightly scroll, the sugar cravings, the pushing-through instead of resting: they’re not flaws. They’re coping strategies. They’re how your body tried to keep you safe when it didn’t know a better way.

But now, you’re learning a better way. And that’s what matters most.

Yes, you’ll still have days where the overwhelm hits. You’ll still have moments where it feels like you’ve gone backward. But you haven’t. You’re just being shown your weak spot, so you can care for it more gently.

Just like someone recovering from addiction will tell you that the craving doesn’t magically disappear… you don’t have to erase your tendencies. You just need the awareness and support to feel able to respond differently when they show up.

This Is What We’re Learning Together

This is exactly what we’ll be exploring inside my new membership, Rooted + Rising Collective. Launching in 2 weeks so stay tuned!

Because healing isn’t a one-time event. It’s a lifestyle. It’s a commitment to showing up for yourself, especially on the hard days. It’s having the tools, the education, and the community that says, “You’re not broken. You’re learning. And you don’t have to do it alone.”

Next week, I’ll be sharing some of the hidden reasons you might still feel dysregulated, even if you’ve already done a lot of healing work.

But for now, I want you to remember this:

You’re not failing. You’re becoming aware.
And that’s the most powerful step of all.