When the People You Thought Were Forever, Leave

There’s a quiet kind of grief that comes when people are still alive, but no longer part of your life.

In this episode, I talk about what it feels like to be left behind by people you thought would be in your life forever — how a year later, the smallest moments can still bring them back, and how watching them move on can make you feel deeply alone.

I share how my life has changed, how the version of me others loved no longer exists, and how healing can cost you people — even when you’re becoming someone better.

This episode is for anyone who has outgrown old lives, lost friendships, or realised that not everyone is meant to walk with you forever.

Healing can be lonely - not because you’re doing it wrong, but because you’re doing it honestly.

Healing is often talked about as something that brings clarity, peace, and connection — but there’s a part of it that rarely gets named.

Loneliness.

In this episode of What About Now? – Holding On and Moving Forward, we explore how healing can quietly distance us from familiar people, places, and patterns. From outgrowing old environments to being honest about what we can and can’t do anymore, this episode looks at the kind of loneliness that isn’t about being unwanted — but about changing.

We talk about boundaries, safety, and the grief that can come with choosing yourself, even when no one has done anything wrong. This episode is for anyone who feels like they don’t quite belong where they used to, and who is learning that healing doesn’t always feel comforting — sometimes it just feels quiet.

If you’re in that in-between space, you’re not alone.

“Not every struggle has a story. Not every pain has a cause. Sometimes there is no reason - and you’re still allowed to need care”

We’re often told that there must be a reason behind our struggles.

A reason we feel low.

A reason we can’t get out of bed.

A reason something inside us feels broken.

But what if there isn’t one?

In this episode, we talk about the pressure to explain pain — to justify depression, anxiety, exhaustion, and emotional heaviness with a clear cause or past event. We explore what it feels like to struggle without an obvious reason, the shame that can come with that, and why pain doesn’t need an origin story to be real or valid.

This is a reminder that not every experience can be traced back to a single moment. Sometimes the brain changes. Sometimes life wears us down. And sometimes things just happen.

You don’t need a reason to struggle.

You don’t need proof to deserve support.

You don’t need to understand everything in order to be gentle with yourself.

Sometimes there is no reason — and that’s okay.