Roundabouts: Setbacks Along the Healing Journey

The other day, I was chatting with a friend who just returned from a trip to France. She said, “I think I’m now in love with roundabouts.”  

She explained how seamless her driving experience was with less traffic and fewer stops at traffic lights. She found that, when done correctly, roundabouts can be really helpful and not as scary as we Americans tend to think. 

I mean, how many times have you come to one and thought, “What if I get stuck and can’t get out?” I know I have!

The more I thought about this, the more I saw parallels between roundabouts and our own lives, especially on our healing journey.

In life, roundabouts can look like repeating old patterns we thought we'd left behind. It could mean getting into similar relationships as our past ones or feeling frustrated that we did that thing, again. 

But here’s the deal: healing doesn’t come in a straight line; it’s circular.

Think of your healing journey like driving down a straight road. 

Along the way, you’re learning new things, gaining information, practicing new habits, and then, BAM, you hit a roundabout. 

Some might call it a setback, but really, it’s an opportunity to practice the skills you’ve been gaining on the straight road. 

Roundabouts force us to navigate with agility, be more aware of others, think quickly, and make sure that blinker is working properly.

If you’re new to this experience, it might take you a few times of going around and around to learn how to exit. This doesn’t mean you’re doing it wrong. 

It means you’re gathering momentum! 😉

Our brains are hardwired to do the same thing over and over again. 

That’s why reading a self-help book doesn’t drastically change your life. 

Change comes over time, with practice and repetition.

So, next time you’re stuck in a roundabout, just remember, it might look like the same one as before, but it’s not – it’s a new one, further up the road, where you can implement what you learned from the last one.