Healing is hard. That's it. That's the message. I won't even try to sugarcoat the rollercoaster that your healing journey will take you through because ain't shit sweet — in the moment, at least. I'm currently venturing through one of those moments. I'm healing but it doesn't feel good right now, it feels heavy and almost suffocating at times. This is one of those times where telling up from down is difficult and all I can do is wait it out and process my emotions along the way. This leg of my journey feels lonely even though I'm far from alone.

Healing will always have it's ups and it's downs. It won't always be fun, exciting, or pleasurable. Healing won't always look like what social media and the internet tend to portray either. It's not always pretty or glamorous. It's not always photography worthy because who really wants to document those trying times if they don't have to? It's not exactly enjoyable to all and understandably so. Plus, have you seen my ugly crying face?! Well, you don't need to and hopefully you never will.

When I first started writing this, I was DEEP in my feelings and now I feel like I'm beginning to float above water again. I will scream "feel your feelings" until the death of me because that's my motto in life. I truly allowed myself to feel exactly what I was going through and it was hard, but it was so necessary. This meant allowing myself to be down in the dumps while attempting not to analyze every feeling and instead just letting nature take it's course. Not every moment will be a high, there will be midpoints and low points, too, and understanding how to manage those low points is so crucial. Life is not like those animated films we watched as children. Life is not a fairytale and that's ok. Does that mean there's no whimsy or wonder? Of course not. There definitely is, but it's not how many of us imagined it being now that we're farther into adulthood. I say all this to say, enjoy your life. Enjoy it outside of work and your responsibilities. Make time for lighthearted fun because you will drain yourself dry trying to keep up with the speed of the world. Have fun simply because you deserve it. Smile more. Laugh more. Appreciate those little moments of joy as they come along because those moments will give you a hand you through the hard times. Remember, you're living a very human experience during dystopian times and that will impact you and understandably so. Do what you can to protect and honor your health (mental, emotional, physical, and even spiritual). This is not a time to look away but it is still important to prioritize your health and happiness during these times, as well. You are loved. Keep going♡

***I figured out how to type out em-dashes (—) on my phone, so prepared to get tired of me. Reminder: This is not AI slop. This is authentic slop generated by my brain!