By Jennifer Brockie | Host of the Survival Revival website and podcast
Just a few short weeks ago, I came frighteningly close to losing my life.
Even now, writing those words feels surreal.
While my body is slowly regaining its strength, I have come to realise healing is about far more than recovering physically. It has prompted me to think deeply about something many of us overlook until life forces us to stop.
How well do we truly process the difficult things that happen to us?
Like so many people, I have always been someone who simply kept going. When life became overwhelming, I focused on the next task, the next responsibility, the next person who needed me. It felt easier than sitting with the pain, the fear or the uncertainty.
But sometimes what we don’t acknowledge doesn’t simply disappear.
Recently, I began reading The Body Keeps the Score by Bessel van der Kolk. Its central message is beautifully simple: our experiences don’t always stay in our minds. Sometimes they linger quietly within our bodies, waiting until we finally slow down enough to listen.
That thought has stayed with me.
Not because I believe we should dwell on the past, but because I believe we owe it to ourselves to process it.
The chaos. The heartbreak. The disappointments. The grief.
The moments we convince ourselves we’ve ‘moved on’ from simply because life demanded that we keep moving.
If we never allow ourselves the time to heal emotionally, those experiences have a way of finding us again. They can appear as anxiety, exhaustion, overwhelm or a constant feeling that something just isn’t quite right.
Our bodies have an incredible way of asking for the care we’ve been denying ourselves.
The lesson I’m taking from these past few weeks is not one of fear.
It’s one of permission.
Permission to rest.
Permission to cry.
Permission to ask for help.
Permission to say, “I’m not okay today,” without feeling we’ve somehow failed.
Healing isn’t about pretending life hasn’t hurt us.
It’s about acknowledging that it has, and choosing not to let those hurts quietly write the rest of our story.
I’m still recovering.
Some days I feel stronger than the day before. Other days remind me that healing doesn’t follow a timetable. And that’s okay. Every small step forward is still progress.
If you’ve been following my journey over these past few weeks, thank you.
Your messages, your kindness and your encouragement have carried me more than you’ll ever know. You’ve reminded me that healing isn’t something we have to do alone.
So if there’s one thing I’d love you to take away from this column, it’s this.
Don’t wait for life to force you to stop.
Make time to care for your body, your mind and your heart.
Process the difficult moments. Accept support when it’s offered. Be gentle with yourself.
Because whilst the body may keep the score, it also has an extraordinary capacity to heal.
And I think that’s one of the most hopeful things any of us could ever believe.
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