The Resistance Is Part of the Work

You finally decide to start therapy.
Or set a boundary.
Or show up for yourself in a new way.

And instead of feeling lighter…
You feel tension.
Frustration.
Discomfort.

That’s not failure.
That’s resistance.
And it shows up right when you’re about to do something that matters.

What Resistance Can Sound Like:

• “This is too hard.”
• “Maybe I don’t really need this.”
• “It worked for other people, but not me.”
• “I don’t want to talk about that.”
• “I’ll start fresh next week.”

Resistance isn’t a red flag.
It’s a signal.
It often shows up right before something shifts.

In Therapy, Resistance Is Common—and Normal

Sometimes we come in ready to heal, but part of us is terrified of what healing might change.
We want to feel better, but we also want to stay safe, familiar, in control.

So we resist:

• We cancel sessions.
• We downplay our pain.
• We crack a joke instead of going deep.
• We intellectualize instead of feeling.

It’s human.
And it’s part of the process—not a detour from it.

The Farm Knows This Too

Try moving stubborn livestock, or digging out deep roots.
Push too fast, and nothing budges.
Force it, and you break something.

You learn to work with the resistance—
to listen, slow down, and shift your approach.

The same is true with our inner work.
Resistance isn’t weakness. It’s information.

What If You Met Resistance With Curiosity?

Instead of pushing past it or judging it—
What if you asked, “What’s this trying to protect?”
“What am I afraid will happen if I keep going?”

Sometimes the resistance is the part of you that’s still scared.
Still grieving.
Still learning to trust this new version of you.

So if you’re stuck, stalled, or second-guessing everything—
Don’t quit.
Don’t shame yourself.

You’re not broken.
You’re just in the thick of the work.

Breathe.
Rest.
And take the next brave step—even if it’s small.

Lean In. Then Surrender.

Not “give up” surrender.
But open-handed surrender.

The kind where you say:

• “I don’t have to fix this all at once.”
• “I’m allowed to be scared and keep going.”
• “I can take a breath and trust what’s rising.”

When you surrender, you stop fighting your own process.
You stop gripping so tightly to certainty, control, perfection.

And in that loosening…
You create space for something new.

Here’s to living with intention & anticipating all the joy,
Jillian 🤍