Not Okay, But Not Alone
Healing Wounds, Weaving Hope is more than just an event—it’s a reminder that healing takes time, and no one should go through it alone. Everyone has experienced pain, though not all wounds are visible. There are losses we can’t put into words and feelings of emptiness we can’t always recognize. In a fast-moving world that constantly demands us to be “okay,” Talk Mental Health Indonesia is here to remind you of one essential truth: you are not alone.
On July 13, 2025, together with @sayswithflowers, we held a heartfelt and intimate event titled “Healing Wounds, Weaving Hope,” hosted at Yayasan Jiwa Pulih Bahagia Creative Hub, Bantul. Through journaling, mindfulness, and flower arranging, we opened a reflective and healing space for anyone seeking a pause from the noise of life and a chance to tend to unspoken wounds.
Touching Grief with Flowers and Words
One of the most meaningful moments was the flower arrangement session led by Say Shio from @sayswithflowers. Each participant was invited to create their own bouquet of hope, choosing flowers intuitively.
For Shio, flowers are more than just aesthetic. They speak their own language. Through color, shape, and energy, they express emotions without needing words. Arranging flowers is a form of meditation, a way to listen to oneself and give new meaning to lived experiences.
The Sessions Included:
Journaling with a Collaborative Zine
Participants began their journey by writing in a zine. Not just a booklet, but a tool for self-exploration. With tender words and empathetic illustrations, journaling became a gentle process of acknowledging long-suppressed emotions.
Mindfulness Session: “Grief in My Body”
This session guided participants in sensing how grief manifests and lingers in the body. With slow breaths and full awareness, we learned to approach our wounds with softness.
Open Discussions in a Safe Space
We created a safe, non-judgmental space for storytelling. There was no pressure to be perfect or stay strong. Here, vulnerability was celebrated as a courageous act.
Flower Therapy with @sayswithflowers
Each person crafted their own bouquet of hope. Beautiful, and more than that, symbolic of emotion, intention, and energy we wish to welcome back into our lives.
Bringing Home Meaningful Memories
Every participant left with two tangible mementos: a zine and their own bouquet. But more importantly, they left with the realization that “I’m not alone in this sadness.”
The Launch of TMH.id’s First Zine
“Not okay, but not alone.”
This event also marked the launch of Talk Mental Health Indonesia’s first zine, in collaboration with @handmadetohappiness, who brought it to life with compassionate design and illustrations.
This zine isn’t just meant to be read. It’s made to be spoken to, written in, and carried gently.
Born from the need for a safe emotional space, the zine honors how hard it can be to express grief. Sometimes, silence and writing feel safer than speaking. And in those quiet moments, even a single sentence can help carry us through.
Inside, you’ll find:
- Gentle reminders for noisy days
- Soft illustrations that feel like a hug
- Journaling pages to pour out your thoughts
- Little words to revisit when you need grounding
It may be small, but this zine holds space for big emotions.
Vulnerability Is Strength
In a world that expects us to be “fine,” showing up as your true self, with your wounds, your silence, or your tears, is a powerful act of courage.
This space was created for that. A breath of relief. A place to be accepted, just as you are.
Throughout the session, we witnessed touching silences, genuine embraces, and the bravery it takes to feel. There were no expectations to be strong and no demands to explain. Just a safe space to cry without rushing to wipe the tears, to sit quietly without needing answers, and to slowly begin weaving hope again.
Because being human also means giving yourself permission to feel, fully.
More Than an Event, a Growing Safe Space
This wasn’t just a one-time event. It was a seed. Planted gently to grow into a shared safe space, slowly but meaningfully.
We hope each participant took home something, no matter how small. A deeper breath. A lighter heart. Or the courage to take one more step forward.
Highlights from the Experience:
Healing emotional wounds through journaling
Writing can become a home for feelings too complex to speak. Journaling gently invites us to feel and untangle what’s inside.
Creating space for emotions to be voiced softly
Sometimes, all we need is a quiet space where honesty can exist, without being told to be “positive” or to “move on.”
Learning to know and accept yourself
Through mindfulness and flower arranging, participants were encouraged to reconnect with themselves. Acknowledging emotions without judgment or urgency.
Building supportive connections through community
Being among people who understand what it feels like to not be okay can be incredibly healing. In this space, you are heard, seen, and not alone.
Memories to Carry Forward
Every gathering leaves traces. And in this one, each person brought home something more than a souvenir.
- A collaborative zine, filled with real stories, soft illustrations, and reflective pages. A reminder that no journey is ever truly walked alone. It’s not just a printed work. It’s a mirror of feelings left unspoken.
- A self-made bouquet of hope. More than just flowers, it was a gentle rearrangement of emotions. As hands arranged stems, hearts began to notice that beauty can still grow from the most fragile places.
But even more than these, participants carried home something invisible. A sense of being accepted, strengthened, and accompanied.
Because sometimes, what we need most isn’t an instant fix. It’s simply a space to feel not alone.
That wounds don’t have to be healed all at once.
That grief doesn’t have to be forgotten.
Sometimes, it just needs to be acknowledged, heard, and tended to with tenderness.
Thank You for Being There!
To every heart that showed up with courage and honesty, thank you.
Thank you for sharing the silences, the tears, the smiles, and the stories.
To @sayswithflowers for guiding the flower arranging with such sincerity and gentleness.
To @handmadetohappiness for bringing our zine to life with such empathetic design. We are deeply grateful for every part of this journey.
Healing Wounds, Weaving Hope is not the end.
It is the beginning.
An invitation to come home to yourself. Without haste. Without the need to be perfect.
A small, steady step toward rewriting hope. Softly, but surely.
Follow us and stay tuned for more heartfelt spaces and gatherings in the future.
Because we all deserve a space to feel and to grow, together.
