Letters From My Healing Journey #1: When Life Had Other Plans

Photo by Clarisse Meyer on Unsplash

A year ago, I never imagined I’d be writing this.

If you had told me that one decision would completely change the way I looked at myself, I probably wouldn’t have believed you.

Hi, I’m Navya.

I’m in my mid-20s, an age where it feels like everyone is thriving in their careers, earning well, living their dream lives, and ticking off milestones one by one. And here I am… not even close to where I thought I’d be. Hehe.

When I was 18 and stepped out of my home for the first time, I genuinely believed that this was it — that now I would make every dream of mine come true. But guess what? Life had other plans.

Everything seemed okay on the outside, but I was struggling with anxiety and depression. I kept going to psychiatrists, hoping they would prescribe an antidepressant that would finally make me feel okay. Alongside that, I was attending counseling sessions too. I really wanted to get better.

But nothing seemed to work.

Until a few months ago, life forced me to slow down.

I started therapy again, and guess what? This time, it actually worked.

It’s now been 11 months since I started therapy, and I can honestly say this has been the biggest plot twist of my life. Not always a happy one, not always an easy one, but definitely a life-changing one.

My mom introduced me to my therapist, and I will always be grateful to her for that.

The first time we met, my mom and I had a general conversation with my therapist. She asked about my previous counseling experiences, how they had been, and we talked a little about my life. For me, she’s someone who helped me look at life from a completely different perspective and has genuinely helped me heal — and she still does.

After that conversation, she sent me a “Get to Know You” form. It was just part of the pre-therapy process so she could understand my personality, experiences, and life a little better before we actually started working together.

And then the day came.

I attended my very first therapy session with her.

She first tried to make me feel comfortable, and then… it all began.

That was the moment everything slowly started changing for the better.

The funny thing is, I didn’t realize it back then. At the time, it just felt like another conversation. But now, when I look back, I realize that was the beginning of a completely different chapter of my life.

I’ve come so far in these 11 months.

Am I completely healed?

No.

And honestly, I don’t think healing works like that.

There are still difficult days. There are days when I question myself, when old patterns come back, and when I feel like I’ve taken a step backward. But there are also days when I realize that the version of me today is so different from the girl who walked into that first therapy session.

And for that, I’m incredibly proud of myself.

Not because I’ve healed completely.

But because I didn’t give up.

So, this was just a little background about me — and maybe a small appreciation for myself too, something I don’t do often enough.

This blog isn’t about giving advice or pretending I have life figured out. I’m still learning, still healing, and still unlearning so many things.

I just want to share the experiences I’ve lived through, the concepts I’ve learned in therapy, and the stories that helped me understand myself a little better. If any of it helps you make sense of your own emotions, or simply reminds you that you’re not alone, then I’m really glad you’re here

Thank you for reading the first chapter of my journey.

See you in the next one.

With love, Navya