About Healing Texts
Healing Texts came out of a period of my life where I was running on momentum instead of stability. I was working, answering demands, keeping obligations, and doing all the things that signal competence.
Underneath that, my nervous system stayed locked on high alert. Sleep was shallow. Mornings carried weight before the day even started. Silence felt louder than it should have.
I started writing short messages for myself. They were written quickly but with care, the way you write something you intend to return to when things feel off. I shared a few with people I trusted, without expecting much beyond getting the words out of my head.
They responded. Some said the messages landed harder than they expected. A few shared them with others. The words moved quietly, passed along because they felt familiar rather than impressive.
Over time, the pattern held. Messages written honestly. Messages shared without fanfare. What formed wasn’t a movement or a brand, but a loose group of people who recognized themselves in the words and kept them circulating.
One moment brought the meaning into focus.
I sent a message to a friend who was struggling. They told me later they read it sitting in their car, parked in their driveway, before going inside. The house was there. The day wasn’t finished. They needed a few minutes before stepping back into it, and they read the message more than once before opening the door.
That image stayed with me. It showed how narrow the space can be between holding it together and feeling overwhelmed. A few grounded words, arriving at the right moment, had been enough to help someone cross that threshold.
That’s when the idea took shape. I began thinking about how many people move through days like that, carrying quiet weight between obligations, without anything meeting them in those moments. I wondered what would happen if messages like these could reach people beyond a small circle, without asking for explanation or effort.
That line of thinking led to Healing Texts.
A text message fits this work because it enters life without ceremony. It shows up alongside work updates, family check-ins, and everyday logistics. It doesn’t require you to switch contexts or prepare yourself to receive it. You read it when you’re standing in line, sitting in a parking lot, or lying awake at night. It becomes part of real life instead of something you have to go looking for.
The messages stay short because stress limits bandwidth. They are written with the nervous system in mind. Some steady reactions before they escalate. Some give words to experiences people have learned to carry silently. Some acknowledge the reality of what someone is moving through without trying to change it.
The service began in the United States and Canada because of carrier limits. As more people asked to receive the messages from elsewhere, email access expanded the reach. The structure stayed the same. One message written by a real person. Sent consistently. Meant to be read in the middle of ordinary days.
Healing Texts continues that way. Quietly. Reliably. Without spectacle. Messages written by a real person. Sent consistently. Received in the middle of ordinary days.
If you sign up, you’re trusting me with your phone and a small part of your attention. I don’t take that lightly. You’ll receive messages meant for people who carry a lot, stay upright anyway, and don’t need to be sold anything while they’re doing it.
For many, that steady contact is enough to make the day feel manageable again.
That’s the work.
That’s the reason this exists.
Learn More & Explore
About the Texts → Start here
About the Author → Meet Ryan
Buy Me a Coffee → Leave a Tip
Top Posts in the Archives → Catch up
Beyond Healing Texts
Some people want to stay with the messages as they are. Others want a way to carry the work a little further, off the phone and into daily life. If that’s you, there are a few options available.
Books — Wood Island Books gathers the posts that resonated most with readers and puts them into books for people who want to spend more time with the writing.
Journals — Designed for reflection and integration, these journals offer space to write through the thoughts that don’t surface easily, with prompts meant to support honesty rather than performance.
Merchandise — Hoodies, shirts, and journals created as simple reminders to keep going. Practical pieces meant to carry the tone of this work into everyday life.
I also write in two longer form newsletters that explore different sides of this work.
Healing Thoughts — A reflective newsletter focused on steadiness, regulation, and everyday healing, with writing meant to slow things down and name what often goes unnoticed.
Shadow Thoughts — A darker companion newsletter that explores anger, grief, identity, and the parts of healing that don’t fit neatly into optimism.
There’s no expectation to follow everything.
These are simply options, available when you want to take the work off the screen and into your hands, your routines, or your inner life.
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