Have you ever felt like you were doing everything right, only to wake up one morning feeling like you had taken ten steps backward? It is such a heavy, frustrating sensation, as if the progress you worked so hard to achieve has simply evaporated. When Thema Bryant says that healing is not linear, she is giving us a beautiful, much-needed permission slip. She is reminding us that the path to feeling whole again is often a messy, winding road filled with unexpected loops and sudden dips. We often expect a steady upward climb, but true healing looks more like a wild, swirling pattern that eventually finds its center.

In our everyday lives, we tend to be so hard on ourselves when we face a setback. We think that if we are sad again, or if an old wound starts to ache, it means we have failed. But that is not how the heart works. Think of a garden in the springtime. There are days of vibrant blooming, but there are also days of heavy rain, muddy ground, and quiet dormancy. The garden is not failing when it is covered in mud; it is simply part of the cycle of renewal. The same goes for our souls. A spiral is not a descent into darkness; it is a way of revisiting old parts of ourselves with new wisdom.

I remember a time when I felt like I was losing my footing. I had been working so hard to stay positive and keep my feathers dry, but a sudden wave of sadness hit me out of nowhere. I felt so much guilt, thinking I was undoing all my progress. But as I sat with that feeling, I realized that the spiral was actually bringing me back to a lesson I hadn't fully learned yet. I wasn't losing ground; I was deepening my understanding. I was growing in a way that a straight line never could have allowed. It was a messy, swirling process, but it was necessary for my strength.

So, if you find yourself in a bit of a spiral today, please try to be gentle with your heart. Do not view your heavy days as wasted time or as a sign of defeat. Instead, see them as moments of deep, internal movement. You are still growing, even when it feels like you are just spinning. Take a deep breath and allow yourself the grace to be imperfect. Perhaps today, instead of trying to force your way back to the top, you can simply focus on being kind to yourself right where you are.