There is a quiet truth in the natural world that we often forget when it comes to ourselves:
A seed does not need permission to grow.
It just needs the right conditions.
In my work as a therapist – and in my own life – I have come to believe that healing, change, and personal insight are a lot like seeds. The capacity for transformation is already within us, often buried just below the surface, waiting. Not to be forced. Not to be perfect. Just to be nurtured.
But here is the hard part: you do not get to control how quickly a seed becomes a tree. Or even whether it sprouts tomorrow or next season.
And when it comes to our own mental health, that uncertainty can feel excruciating.
We want results. We want relief. We want the sadness, anxiety, grief, numbness – or whatever else we are carrying – to go away. To resolve.
But healing is not linear. It is not an on-demand process.
It unfolds in the dark, in the in-between spaces, often long before we even realize it’s happening.
When Things Don’t Bloom Right Away
Sometimes we do everything “right”:
We go to therapy. We read the books. We set the boundaries.
And still, we don’t feel better – yet.
That does not mean the work is not working.
It means the seed is still germinating.
You may not see progress, but something deep inside is rearranging.
New roots are forming. New stories are loosening.
And even in the stillness, the process is alive.
On Trust and Timing
In a world obsessed with quick fixes, “transformation” often gets packaged as fast, flashy, and impressive.
But mental health does not work that way.
Real growth is subtle. Gentle. Sometimes invisible at first.
It asks for patience, not performance.
And most of all, it asks for trust.
Trust that your pain does not mean you are broken.
Trust that your pace is not a problem.
Trust that your body and your mind are moving at exactly the speed they need to.
You would not yell at a seed for not blooming on day three.
So, what would it mean to offer yourself the same grace?
A Reflection for Wherever You Are:
Ask yourself:
- What seed have I planted that I have not given myself time to grow?
- Where am I expecting a harvest before the roots have even taken hold?
- What would it feel like to believe I am not behind – I am becoming?
You are Not Alone in the Waiting
Whether you are deep in your healing, just beginning, or simply surviving – your process is valid.
Let us stop measuring mental health by productivity or perfection.
Let us start honouring the quiet, nonlinear work of becoming.
You are not failing.
You are rooting.
And the seed? It already knows what to do.
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Want to know more about a specific topic related to psychotherapy? Send me an email (adam@cwcp.ca) and let me know so I can write a blog post about it. And if you would like an honorable mention for your recommendation, let me know that too and I will include your name!
