Licensed therapist Raquel Hopkins is speaking out about a common mistake people make when going through personal growth—thinking something is wrong with them just because they feel uncomfortable.
In a viral Instagram post and video, Hopkins says many people are mistaking normal signs of emotional growth for trauma or dysfunction.
“I’ve watched so many people pathologize their growth,” she wrote. “People are taking normal, healthy parts of growth—like feeling uncertain, uncomfortable, or emotionally stretched—and mislabeling them as signs of dysfunction.”
She explains that feelings like guilt when resting or awkwardness when setting boundaries aren’t always signs of something wrong. Sometimes, they’re just signs you’re doing something new.
“Not every hard thing is a trauma response,” Hopkins said in the video. “Some of it is just practice. Some of it is your nervous system catching up to your new life.”
Hopkins urges people to give themselves grace and stop assuming they’re broken just because healing feels strange or difficult.
“Rest might feel guilty not because you’re wounded, but because you’re finally arriving at a version of you that has nothing to prove,” she said.
Hopkins encourages people to recognize that growth often feels weird or hard—and that’s okay. Her message is a reminder that healing is a process, and feeling off doesn’t mean you’re failing.
She closes with a question for her followers: “Are you actually wounded, or are you just in the part of your journey where it’s time to grow?”
Hopkins shares more resources on emotional healing and growth through her newsletter and eBook, available through the link in her Instagram bio.
