One Layer at a Time: The Truth About Constant Healing

Maty Ethel
2 hours ago
3 min read

Let’s Talk About Healing

Healing is not easy.

It’s not linear. It’s not a checklist. And it’s definitely not something you can schedule around your busy life.

Some days it’s loud. Some days it’s quiet.

And most days… It’s both.

What I’ve come to realize is that healing is never just from one thing.

It’s usually a layered pile of past hurts, heartbreaks, traumas, and unspoken thoughts we’ve carried for far too long. It’s the childhood wounds we didn’t realize we were still carrying. The relationships that didn’t work out. The times we betrayed our own voice just to be accepted. The burnout. The grief. The overthinking. The letting go. The holding on.

And sometimes, just when you think you’ve patched one crack in your soul, another begins to open.

When Amy G. Dala Shows Up

I like to call my amygdala “Amy G. Dala” — she’s the part of my brain that jumps into fight-or-flight mode when things feel unsafe. She’s dramatic, reactive, and doesn’t wait for permission to take over.

When Amy shows up, it’s a lot.

My heart races. My chest tightens. I start second-guessing everything.

And sometimes I can feel anxiety creeping in like a wave, uninvited and intense.

Even as I write this blog, there’s a heaviness I can’t quite name.

A stress sitting in my chest.

And I find myself asking a question I know so many of us carry:

How do you keep healing when it feels like you’re always hurting?

What I Do to Ground Myself

I breathe — slow and deep, letting my body exhale the tension.

I journal — not for perfection, but for honesty.

I step outside — feel the sun on my face, the breeze on my skin, the stillness in the trees.

And I remind myself of something I’m still learning:

Healing is not a destination.

It’s a journey I commit to, one moment at a time.

Instead of obsessing over “When will I be healed?”,

I’ve shifted the question to “How am I choosing to heal today?”

That shift changes everything.

Healing is a Practice

Healing is active. It’s intentional.

It’s showing up for yourself again and again — even on the days you feel like you can’t.

Think about how we care for a scraped knee.

We feel the sting.

We clean the wound.

We cover it.

We protect it.

We check on it daily.

And when it finally closes, what’s left behind is a scar. Not a flaw — a symbol.

A reminder that we’ve been through something, and we made it through.

That scar says:

“You survived.”

“You knew how to care for yourself.”

“And if it ever happens again… you’ll know how to heal.”

So even when life hits you one wave after the next, remember:

You’ve healed before. You will heal again.

5 Affirmations for Healing

I give myself grace while I grow.
I am allowed to heal at my own pace.
My scars are proof of my strength.
I am not broken — I am becoming.
I trust the process, even when it feels uncertain.

Final Thoughts

If you’re tired of healing, I want you to know this:

You are not behind. You are not too much. You are not failing.

You are becoming — and that’s brave.

You’re learning how to sit with your emotions.

You’re learning how to release what no longer serves you.

You’re learning how to care for yourself in a way you never have before.

So take it one breath, one choice, one day at a time.

You don’t have to rush your healing.

Just don’t stop showing up for it.

You’ve got this.

And I’m right here with you.