You’re in Good Company (Even Without Your Sh*t Together Today)
I’ll be honest… a couple of weeks ago I had a bit of a day.
(And there’s a good chance I’ve had one or two since then).
Not a life-falling-apart kind of day.
Just… one of those days.
The kind where a small comment from someone - in my case, a colleague in a new position of authority - hit one of those old, emotional bruises I thought I’d already “done the work” on.
Nothing major. Nothing overtly cruel. Just enough to make me feel like I was being questioned.
Like my competence - after 22 years in my role - was suddenly up for review.
And I’ll be real with you… I unravelled a bit.
Heart racing. Shallow breathing. Internal monologue screaming. Rage bubbling up in a way that felt wildly out of character for me.
All the tools I talk about on the podcast?
Yeah. Couldn’t find the damn toolbox.
(Pretty sure it was hiding out with the lost socks and what was left of my patience.)
Here’s the kicker…
I knew what was happening.
I could feel myself spiralling.
I was self-aware enough to recognize I wasn’t regulated.
And I still didn’t do any of the things I know would help.
Because here’s the truth nobody tells you when you start doing “the work”…
Knowing better doesn’t mean you always do better.
And that doesn’t mean you’re failing.
It means you’re human.
You Don’t Have to Be Perfect to Be Growing
We are not optimization machines.
We’re not immune to bad days just because we’ve read a bunch of good books and articles, and built a solid toolkit.
We’re human.
We have nervous systems, hormones, and baggage.
And yes - occasionally, we skip lunch or figure the bag of skittles in our desk will do for now...
So if you’ve ever caught yourself thinking:
- “I should be past this by now…”
- “Why am I reacting like this again?”
- “I thought I already healed this…”
Let me lovingly interrupt that thought.
Growth isn’t linear. Healing isn’t perfect.
And nobody – I do mean nobody - has their sh*t together all the time.
Not me. Not your therapist.
Not the influencer with a morning routine that involves matcha, cold plunges, and perfectly filtered zen.
Falling into old patterns doesn’t erase the progress you’ve made.
It means you’re still in the messy middle of life-ing.
It means you're probably overdue for some rest, reflection… or coffee on intravenous.
You can be wise and wildly imperfect.
You can be actively healing and still have days where the emotional toolbox is buried under sarcasm and a mountain of "coping."
That’s not failure. That’s real-time growth and you’re a work in progress.
Because the magic of healing isn’t in never stumbling. It’s in noticing when you’re stumbling – a little bit sooner.
It’s in coming back to centre just a little bit faster.
And it’s in trusting that even when your hands are too sweaty to pick up the tools, you still know they’re there.
So if today’s been a bit messy?
Or you’re questioning whether you’ve made any progress at all?
You’re not alone.
You’re not broken. You’re not behind.
And you’re definitely not the only one who occasionally forgets how to use the tools in their own damn toolkit.
Take a breath.
You don’t need to be perfect to be worthy.
You don’t need to have it all together to be growing.
You’re in good company here.
If you want to listen to the episode where I confess all of this, you can check it out here:
Or hey - just keep showing up. That’s more than enough.
💜
Johanna
P.S. If this post gave you a little exhale, you can also support the podcast or share it with someone who needs this reminder.
