Today, You Get to Breathe

Permission to Rest While You Heal

What if healing didn’t have to be a full-time job?

When you’re a sexual assault survivor, it can feel like the world expects you to “get over it” quickly — to smile, move on, and act like nothing ever happened. But healing isn’t linear, and it’s not something you check off a to-do list. The journey is different for everyone.

Some days, healing looks like deep conversations with a counselor or journaling about your story. Other days, it looks like sitting in silence, taking slow breaths, and letting your nervous system reset.

Rest is not laziness — it’s survival.

When you pause, you give your mind and body a chance to feel safe again. Safety is the foundation for healing.

Try This Today:

• Find a quiet space where you feel safe.

• Put one hand on your chest and one on your belly.

• Take three slow breaths, in through your nose, out through your mouth.

• Say to yourself: “I am safe right now.”

This simple act tells your body that you are no longer in danger — that it’s okay to slow down.

Your healing doesn’t have to look like anyone else’s. If all you do today is breathe, that’s enough. You are enough.

If this helped you feel even a little more grounded, hit reply or share how you rested today.