Softening Into Healing

A reflection on slowing down, surrender, and embodiment of the sacred pause

It’s been over six months since I broke my ankle, and truthfully, I’ve been reluctant to share much about this chapter. It’s felt too personal, too raw, too tender. But as I slowly step back toward life, work, and embodiment, I’m beginning to see how important this experience has been—not just physically, but spiritually.

The first four months were spent trying everything I could to avoid surgery. I followed a conservative healing plan with hope and discipline. But the truth revealed itself: the bone wasn’t healing properly, and there was significant tendon damage that was not going to heal on its own. Surgery became necessary.

Another two months of recovery, and I’ve finally received the all-clear that the bone is healed. But I don’t feel healed….and there is something deeper under the surface of this experience unfolding.

The Unexpected Invitation of Stillness

This injury brought a level of stillness I never would’ve chosen. I was forced to stop—to step back from work, from momentum, from the outward-facing roles I’ve long carried. Rest became my number one priority, and rest is not something I’ve always welcomed.

It challenged my identity as someone who holds space for others, as someone who’s always “doing,” creating, guiding.

It’s in this space—where I had no choice but to slow down—that a deeper spiritual unfolding began.

I felt myself retreating from the world. Not in avoidance, but in self-preservation. I only had energy for the most essential things, and I learned to give it sparingly, only to those who could meet me in truth and tenderness.

My circle shrank, and with it came the quiet, powerful realization that I no longer had to be the strong one. I for once allowed myself to soften, to receive and to allow myself to be held and nurtured.

That was new for me. Uncomfortable. But necessary.

Letting Myself Be Held

I let myself be supported—really supported. By family. By dear friends. By Spirit. And through that, I softened. I cracked. I grieved. I raged. I surrendered. I practiced self-compassion like never before.

Some days I felt like a shell of myself. Other days, I could glimpse a version of me that was becoming something new—more rooted, more real, more aligned.

This process has not been linear. I’ve felt guilt for not working, shame for needing help, grief for what I couldn’t do, and deep self-doubt about whether I’d ever feel strong again.

But beneath all that noise, there’s been something ancient whispering: “This is part of your becoming.”

Living the Pause: Sacred Practices That Helped Me Heal

Here are some of the daily practices that supported me through this time.
They weren’t checklists or to do tasks —they were invitations to meet myself where I was, again and again.

🕊 Let rest be the ritual
Not just physical rest, but soul rest. I had to redefine productivity as presence. Some days, doing nothing but breathing, gazing at the sky, or placing a hand on my heart was enough.

🕯 Begin each day with softness, not pressure
Instead of asking “What do I have to do today?”, I asked: “How do I want to feel?” and “What do I need today?”

🌿 Tend to the small things with reverence
Making tea. Lighting a candle. Brushing my hair. Small moments of care became sacred.

📖 Journal without an agenda
Whether it was two words or five pages, I let my truth come out—messy and unfiltered.

💧 Feel the feelings—all of them
I cried. I raged. I laughed. I let it all be part of the process.

🤲 Practice receiving
I let people help. I let love in. And that cracked my heart open in ways I didn’t know I needed.

💗 Speak gently to yourself
I talked to my body like a beloved. I reminded myself daily: It’s okay to be right where you are.

🌀 Healing is not a race—it’s a rite of passage
I stopped rushing toward “normal” and started honoring who I was becoming in the slowness reminding myself daily “ you are exactly where you need to be”

A Simple Mantra That Carried Me

One question has anchored me through it all:
“What do I need today?”

Not what do I need to do. But what do I truly need?

This small shift allowed me to drop expectations and simply focus on feeling okay. On being present. On tending to myself with compassion.

From My Heart to Yours

If this reflection resonates with you, I hope it serves as a gentle reminder:

You don’t need to hold it all together.

You don’t have to rush.

Healing is sacred.

You are becoming who you already are.

With softness and steady breath, I hold you in gratitude, love and compassion. Thank you for walking this luminous path with me!
💛 Zionna