I want to start this first issue of ESC Weekly with something honest, something that every person in this community needs to hear, whether they’re healing from a breakup, learning boundaries, or just trying to feel like themselves again: Healing doesn’t feel peaceful at the beginning. It feels unfamiliar. It feels empty. It feels wrong. And that doesn’t mean you’re failing — it means you’re finally growing. People often think that healing is supposed to feel like calm mornings, lightness, journaling, drinking tea, meditating, feeling whole again. In reality… healing starts with discomfort. It starts with the part of you that is still shaking, still missing someone, still craving old habits, still trying to figure out who you are without the chaos you once called connection. You’re not in pain because you’re weak. You’re in pain because you’re finally removing the emotional patterns that were numbing you. And when you let go of something that once distracted you from yourself… you’re forced to finally meet yourself. That’s where the discomfort lives. When you start healing, you’re not stepping into peace, you’re stepping into withdrawal. Withdrawal from: - Emotional intensity - Inconsistent love - Being needed - Chasing validation - The highs and lows of unhealthy connection Your nervous system doesn’t care about what’s healthy. It cares about what’s familiar. So when you walk away from someone who couldn’t choose you… or when you finally stay in No Contact… or when you stop pleasing people and start protecting your peace… Your body panics, because you made a choice you’ve never made before. You’re stepping out of survival mode, and your system doesn’t know what to do with the quiet. That quiet can feel like emptiness. It can feel like loneliness. It can feel like something is missing. This is where everyone gets confused: “If they weren’t good for me… why do I miss them?” “If I’m healing… why does this feel so uncomfortable?” “If this is the right choice… why does my body feel wrong?”