The Pause: Weathering the Storm.

Some weeks in burnout recovery feel steady; others remind us that healing moves in waves.

Healing is not linear.

It moves like water,

advancing, retreating, returning again.

Another wave has come.

This one feels strong.

It has swept me backward,

to the place where my breath feels heavy,

my mind restless,

my heart tired.

Where sleepless nights hover

and the days feel untethered.

For a moment, I forget how far I’ve come.

But I remind myself:

waves pass.

They always do.

Calmer waters return.

They always have.

My anchors steady me.

My breath.

My art.

My writing.

Simple things.

Sacred things.

They guide me back to the present.

Back to my body.

Back to myself.

They soften the storm’s edge

and remind me to meet this moment

with compassion instead of fear.

Healing is not a straight line.

It is a tide.

Sometimes I am standing on the shore.

Sometimes I am caught in the swell.

But I am no longer drowning.

Even here, in the middle of the wave,

I know how to float.

For now, I will listen.

I will slow down.

I will lean into my anchors.

The storm will pass.

And when it does,

I will step forward again.

Steady, weathered,

and stronger than before.

- Michelle Valerie

This essay is part of The Pause.

You can explore more writing from The Pause here