My Healing Bucket — Collecting What Helps Me Feel Like Me

Healing isn’t about perfection. It’s about discovering what fills your “bucket” — the people, practices, and tools that bring you back to yourself.

Healing, for me, has never been linear. It’s been a trial-and-error process, taking small steps and learning to listen. Over time, I began to think of it as my healing bucket — the collection of tools, practices, and people that help me feel grounded, balanced, and connected.

What’s in My Healing Bucket

In my bucket, you’ll find things that heal both the mind and body:

● Brainspotting and EMDR to help release stored emotion

● Therapy and supervision for ongoing growth

● Nutrition, sleep, and movement to support my hormonal health

● Faith and spirituality to help me find meaning

● Self-compassion to quiet the inner critic

Each piece works together, filling my bucket drop by drop.

🌼 Integration, Not Perfection

I used to believe there was one right way to heal. But healing isn’t a checklist — it’s a relationship with yourself. It changes as you do. Some days, your bucket overflows; other days, it feels empty. Both are part of the journey.

Healing became less about “fixing” myself and more about understanding myself. PMDD, trauma, and neurodivergence aren’t life sentences — they’re invitations to know myself more deeply.

When we allow space for imperfection, we find peace. Healing isn’t about returning to who you were; it’s about becoming who you were always meant to be.

Written by Cindy Machado, Registered Psychotherapist (Qualifying) at Ingersoll Wellness Hub. Cindy offers a compassionate space for women healing from trauma and hormonal mood disorders, and for those navigating neurodivergence. Her trauma-informed, neuroaffirming, and holistic approach, which empowers women to reconnect with themselves and their resilience, blends evidence-based practice with lived experience.