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Three months ago, I committed to journaling every day. No rules, no word count, no structure, just me, a page, and whatever needed to surface.
I didn’t expect it to become a mirror.
I didn’t expect it to become a compass.
I didn’t expect it to become a spiral.
But here we are.
This past week, I hit the three-month mark of my journaling journey, and instead of celebration, I found myself caught in a familiar tangle: fatigue, frustration, and a creeping sense of self-doubt. A difficult phone call from my doctor hinted at a possible autoimmune diagnosis. My body felt heavy. My energy scattered. My thoughts… loud.
And yet, I still showed up to the page.
The Truth About Spiral Healing
When we imagine healing, we often picture a straight line, or at the very least, a clean progression of breakthroughs. We think of clarity. Forward movement. The moment where everything clicks.
But my past three months have looked nothing like that.
Instead, healing has shown up as a spiral, looping back through old beliefs I thought I’d outgrown, returning to stories I thought I had already rewritten. This week especially, I found myself questioning everything:
- Am I just journaling on the surface?
- Why do I still react this way?
- Is this growth, or am I just looping again?
Here’s what I’ve learned:
Journaling doesn’t always feel profound. But it does reveal what’s real.
What I’m Learning Through the Spiral
Here are a few of the quiet truths that surfaced for me this week:
- Incremental change is still change.
My growth hasn’t been loud or dramatic. It’s been in the way I interrupt old loops. The way I pause before I spiral. The way I notice the lie in my inner critic’s voice. - Comparison sneaks in quietly.
I caught myself comparing my journaling to stories in a book I was reading, assuming theirs were “deeper,” “more cathartic,” more “worthy.” I forgot that my process doesn’t have to look like anyone else’s to be meaningful. - Healing isn’t about escaping trauma, it’s about reclaiming who I am beneath it.
I often wrestle with the idea that my reactions are shaped by trauma. And honestly? Sometimes I just want to be done with it. But avoiding the lens of trauma doesn’t heal it. Naming it without shame, that’s where my power begins.
The Role of Routine When Everything Feels Uncertain
On the harder days, I’ve noticed myself leaning into small anchors:
- A morning routine that feels fluid, not forced.
- Movement that delights me rather than disciplines me.
- Meals planned with intention but not perfection.
- Journaling, even when I have nothing “important” to say.
These tiny acts remind me that I can build structure without rigidity. That I can feel grounded, even when the ground beneath me is shifting.
To the Reader Who’s Also Spiraling
If you’re in a season where everything feels like a loop…
If your healing feels slow, messy, or invisible…
If you’re wondering if you’re doing it “right”…
I want to offer you this:
Even when you feel like you’re moving in circles, you’re still moving.
And maybe, just maybe, the spiral is the path.
Not all growth feels profound. Some of it looks like getting out of bed on a hard morning. Some of it looks like crying on the commute home. Some of it looks like showing up to your journal and telling the truth without cleaning it up.
That counts.
You count.
What I’m Carrying Forward
As I head into the next chapter of this journey, I’m holding onto a few truths:
- “Don’t believe everything you think.”
- “Your inner voice sometimes lies.”
- Routines can soothe, not suffocate.
- I can honor my energy and still make progress.
- I don’t need to “fix” myself, I need to hold myself.
This is the kind of healing I’m learning to live. Not perform. Not prove. Just live.
And for once…
that feels like enough.
💬 What About You?
Have you ever felt like your healing was moving in circles?
What do your quiet progress moments look like?
Feel free to share in the comments or explore your own reflections using one of my prompted journals, designed especially for slow-building creatives and soul-led entrepreneurs walking through seasons just like this one.
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