One of the most confusing parts of starting a healing journey is the overwhelming amount of advice available online.
Everywhere you look, there seems to be another rule:
• meditate every morning
• journal every night
• practice gratitude constantly
• repeat affirmations
• wake up at 5am
• follow a specific routine
And while many of these tools genuinely help some people, I think there is also a danger in believing there is only one “correct” way to heal.
For a long time, I thought I was failing because meditation never really worked for me.
I tried so many times to sit still and quiet my mind because I kept hearing how important meditation was for healing and personal growth.
But every time I tried:
I fidgeted.
I became restless.
I got distracted.
If I lay down, I fell asleep.
Eventually I started to feel as though I simply was not doing healing properly.
But over time I realised something very important:
Healing does not look the same for everyone.
What calms one person may frustrate another.
What feels grounding for one person may feel unnatural to somebody else.
And that is okay.
For me, I eventually realised that long walks became my version of meditation.
Walking through nature.
Being near the sea.
Quietly reflecting while moving.
Allowing my mind to process things naturally.
That brought me peace in a way traditional meditation never did.
And I think many people need permission to understand that healing can be flexible.
There is no single path that works for everybody because everybody carries different experiences, personalities, emotions and nervous systems.
Some people heal through:
• movement
• creativity
• therapy
• spirituality
• journaling
• nature
• conversation
• silence
• faith
• self-reflection
Others heal simply by learning to slow down and stop living in constant survival mode.
I also think this is why healing can sometimes feel intimidating at first. Many people assume personal growth means becoming somebody completely different or following beliefs and practices that do not feel natural to them.
But healing should never feel like forcing yourself into somebody else’s identity.
Real healing is not about performing wellness.
It is about understanding yourself more honestly and compassionately.
It is about discovering what genuinely helps you feel calmer, healthier and more connected to yourself.
That may look very different from what works for somebody else.
And that does not make your healing journey any less valid.
You do not need to heal like everybody else.
You simply need to begin listening to yourself a little more closely.
