What happens after survival?
For years, I thought healing meant surviving one more moment. It was the same mantra on repeat in my mind: Take it one moment at a time.
When someone is in crisis, we often focus on getting through today. So much of my treatment experience has been about surviving the present moment. In fact, I never thought about what was possible for me beyond right now.
Don’t get me wrong, I had things I was working on, but I didn’t have any confidence in who I could become. I just figured since I’m still alive, I might as well make it mean something. So, I continued to live in the right now, terrified I’d wake up tomorrow and have to keep going.
And, as a result, I have spent so much time in a constant state of autopilot to survive. My life became a checklist: take this deep breath, use this coping skill, take this medication, and do this self-care practice. And, if you keep doing that, you will survive each moment. The most curious I got was, what can you do right now? And, all of this is and was an essential part of my treatment. Because I can tell you without a doubt that the bravest thing I did most days was surviving, literally choosing to live.
I was playing Pieces of You recently, and one patient said, “So much of treatment is about surviving the present moment. This helps me have something to look forward to.” I haven’t stopped thinking about that sentence, because it put my own journey into perspective. There are still days when I only think about surviving today, scared of the possibility of months and years ahead.
It wasn’t about using the future as a ticking clock measuring your potential against your outcomes. It wasn’t about chasing productivity or measuring success. Rather, it was about asking, outside of this experience and the way I see myself, who do I want to become?
Treatment is designed to stabilize us, and it should be because safety has to come first. But, eventually, stabilization isn’t enough. And, for a long time, that’s where my understanding of healing ended. Therefore, I spent my recovery journey (because it is assumed you will recover or you won’t make it), thinking healing meant surviving into the next moment. I’ve stopped thinking of healing as the next moment didn’t hurt as much as the ones before. It meant sometimes it will hurt more than it did before, and sometimes it might hurt less—neither of these reduce the progress you make each day.
I had become incredibly good at surviving without ever asking what I was surviving for.
Yet, after a group discussion about treatment during the game, I realized my definition of healing was incomplete. Healing needs to ask a different question. And, for me, this question is one that may feel more difficult to answer and requires a lot of space for curiosity without judgment.
What are you moving toward?
It’s one thing to stay alive. It’s another to build a life you want to wake up to. It’s in this distinction where hope lies. Limitations begin to shift into possibilities.
Look, I will be the first to tell you this does not mean that suddenly life becomes easy. There is hope, not in the ease or difficulty, in the direction. A reason to keep going, because your future will be bigger than your current circumstances.
This is why I created Pieces of You. I never wanted players to end with “getting through it.” I wanted them to ask, What’s next? What do you care about? Who are you becoming? What kind of life do you want to build once you’ve made it through this season?
One of my favorite concepts is the idea of a North Star. It is not a destination you’ll arrive at overnight, but something that keeps you oriented when life feels uncertain. It points you toward your values, toward your goals, toward purpose, and toward a meaningful life. It isn’t about simply surviving; it’s about a future that you are stepping into.
Over the past year, I’ve watched people discover their North Stars. For one person, it was becoming the parent they always wanted to be. For another, it was returning to school. Someone else wanted to trust themselves again. And one person simply wrote, “I want to believe joy is possible.”
I think the hardest lesson I had to learn was that hope often isn’t found in a life-changing event; sometimes it’s found in a small card, a meaningful goal, or the decision to keep moving toward your North Star.
Surviving is important. Again, it is the bravest thing we will ever do. But, I hope we never stop believing that we’re worthy of more than survival. I hope we create lives we’re excited to live that are rooted in purpose with something to look forward to.
Healing isn’t just about making it through today. It’s about believing tomorrow is worth showing up for.
No one ever taught me how to dream again after surviving, so when I created Pieces of You, I designated a category to point us in the direction of what could be if we keep going.
Pieces of You™ is more than a board game; it’s an opportunity for every individual at the table to discover a tool that supports their inner journey. The game contains 6 categories filled with different prompts that invite you to write a letter to yourself, make a card for someone else, write down a value or goal, do a journal prompt, share a self-care or boundary out loud, or lead a group discussion. Each category touches on both different themes and different approaches to exploration.
The Guided Edition is designed for treatment centers, therapy groups, and mental health programs. It combines structured prompts with interactive activities to increase engagement, participation, and peer connection in group settings. It’s the group activity that is actually meant for every member of the group.
This game can be incorporated into a variety of settings, including, but not limited to:
therapy groups
counseling sessions
individual reflection
structured therapeutic activities
Recommended Ages 16+
Learn More: Pieces of You: The Guided Edition — Francesca Reicherter
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Disclaimer: Pieces of You™ is a reflective and discussion-based board game designed to foster self-expression, connection, and personal insight. It is not a form of therapy, treatment, or clinical intervention and is not intended to replace professional mental health care. The game was created by a facilitator, not a licensed therapist, and should only be used as a therapeutic tool under the guidance of a licensed mental health professional. Players should use the game at their own discretion and seek professional support if needed.
