Healing is not linear

Oh, 2020, you crazy year. It sure has been a year of many lessons for me. How about you?

One of the big lessons I’ve received over and over again is that healing isn’t linear. Do you remember the mantra “every day, in every way, I’m getting better and better?” Well, it’s a good mantra to have, but not always what happens in reality. And it’s important to keep this in mind so that we don’t get discouraged. I’m talking about all of us - if you hit a plateau in your weight loss journey, or if your back pain is a little worse this week after getting steadily better, or if you have a few sleepless nights after your insomnia has been gone for months.

For me, it was recovering from surgery - I was feeling a little better each day and then one day my energy just tanked and I felt like I had been run over by a Mack truck. I was frustrated and overwhelmed and dismayed, until I was reminded by a friend that IT’S OK!!! Just like I wrote earlier about how there isn’t a perfect balance point, healing isn’t linear and completely predictable either.

It’s also a good reminder for me as a clinician, because I can get frustrated when people aren’t responding and getting better week over week. There are things we can do to make it as predictable as possible, like eating good foods, drinking plenty of water and getting rest, but sometimes we just have to relax and go along for the ride. 

So the next time you find that your healing path isn’t what you expected, just remember...healing isn’t linear.