The Glow Up That Comes from Healing
Jun 09, 2025
When people hear the phrase "glow up," they usually think about changing how they look. Maybe losing weight, getting a new haircut, new clothes, new energy. And while those outside things can feel good, they are nothing compared to the glow up that happens on the inside when you start truly healing.
The real glow up is not about how you look. It is about who you become. It is about becoming someone who knows their worth, trusts themselves, and does not settle for less anymore. Healing changes you from the inside out, and when you do the work, people will notice. But more importantly, you will notice. And you will not need anyone else's approval to feel good about yourself ever again.
The first way healing transforms you is that you stop abandoning yourself. Before you heal, it is easy to chase people who do not value you, to stay in situations that hurt you, or to betray your own needs to keep the peace. You make yourself small hoping someone else will love you. But when you heal, you realize you do not have to beg for love. You do not have to prove yourself. You start meeting your own needs first, and that changes everything.
Here is how you stop abandoning yourself:
- You listen to your gut instead of ignoring it to make other people comfortable.
- You say no when something does not feel right, even if it disappoints someone.
- You stop chasing approval and start giving yourself the validation you were always looking for.
When you stop betraying yourself, your energy shifts. You stop feeling desperate. You stop feeling anxious all the time. You start feeling calm, grounded, and confident. And trust me, that shows on the outside.
Another massive glow up that happens through healing is that your standards get higher. You are no longer willing to entertain half-effort relationships, flaky friendships, or anything that drains your peace. You know your energy is valuable, and you are not afraid to protect it. You also start to realize that it is better to be alone than to be with people who make you feel lonely.
Signs your standards are leveling up:
- You are no longer impressed by words. You pay attention to actions.
- You stop making excuses for people who show you who they are.
- You value your peace more than attention or temporary connection.
This new energy does not just protect you from getting hurt. It attracts better people, better opportunities, and a better life. When you heal, you do not have to chase anything anymore. The right things will naturally align with you because you are aligned with yourself.
Healing also gives you a new kind of confidence. It is not the loud, show-off kind of confidence. It is the quiet, powerful kind that says, "I know who I am and I do not need to prove it." It is the kind of confidence that is felt, not just seen. You walk into a room differently. You hold your head higher. You do not shrink yourself anymore. And it is not because you think you are better than anyone. It is because you finally know you are not less.
The biggest glow up from healing is the relationship you build with yourself. You start to actually like who you are. You are proud of how far you have come. You recognize your own strength, your own kindness, your own resilience. You stop waiting for other people to choose you because you have already chosen yourself.
Here are a few things that happen when you really start loving yourself:
- You forgive yourself for the mistakes you made when you did not know better.
- You celebrate your progress instead of focusing on how far you still have to go.
- You take up space without apologizing for it.
Healing is not always pretty. There are tears. There are setbacks. There are days where you wonder if you are even making any progress. But every small step adds up. Every hard day you survive, every boundary you set, every moment you choose yourself over your old patterns is part of your glow up story.
One day you will look back and realize you do not even recognize the version of you who used to settle for crumbs. You will remember the pain, but you will not be defined by it. You will see yourself standing taller, smiling bigger, feeling freer. And it will not be because someone else saved you. It will be because you decided to save yourself.
That is the glow up that matters. The one no one can take from you. The one you earned. And the one you are building every single day you choose to heal.
