On Healing

Healing is not a straight line,  

I think it’s more like the waves of the sea—  

Sometimes calm, sometimes crashing,  

That’s where healing finds me.

It begins with a gentle whisper,  

A voice that says, “I am here.”  

It moves with tender patience,  

Embracing each muffled tear.

Healing is the slow unravelling,  

Of pain, you’ve held inside,  

It’s learning to sit with discomfort,  

No longer needing to hide.

Gather your strength in the ways that feel right.  

Maybe you run or get outside,  

Ride a bike or laugh with friends—  

Find deep belly laughter, where joy can hide.  

Watch each sunrise and  sunset too,  

Until it sinks in that, each day is a chance to start new.

Then comes the part where you hear it— 

The hurt, the pain, the stories long kept.  

The memories seep in like flashbacks,  

Settled deep where your body wept.  

They’re rooted in muscles, in skin, in bones,  

So deep, it’s hard to know where they end  

And where new stories begin.

But this is not the story you will stay with.  

You give it space—enough to breathe,  

But not too much, because this story?  

It no longer defines what you believe.

Some days you may feel broken,  

Other days, a spark of light.  

Both are part of the process—  

You’re allowed to take your time.

And how do you heal without breaking?  

How do you stay rooted in your strength?  

The answer is: you do it slowly,  

Little by little, you build length.  

You cry, you learn to sit still every now and then,  

You let good people in—  

How to hold their gaze, maybe take their hand,  

And breathe, my friend.

So trust the path before you,  

Even when it’s hard to see.  

Healing is an act of courage,  

And you’re doing it—bravely.

xo kristen 

#worldmentalhealthday