Some things do not need to be solved; they simply need to be witnessed.

This can feel counterintuitive, especially in a world that values resolution, action, and forward motion. When something feels painful or uncertain, the natural instinct is to fix it, to find clarity, to move beyond it as quickly as possible. But not everything in us is meant to be solved. Some things are simply meant to be seen.

Healing isn’t about forcing closure. In fact, rushing to resolution often bypasses the deeper truth underneath. When we sit with what is unresolved—when we allow it to exist without forcing it into a tidy narrative—we create space for something more organic to emerge. Sometimes, that space is where real healing happens.

The Urge to Fix vs. The Power of Witnessing

There’s a part of us that feels like we can’t rest until we “figure it out.” Maybe it’s an old wound that resurfaces, a deep longing that won’t settle, or an uncertainty about the path ahead. The discomfort of the unknown can feel unbearable, so we scramble for answers. We analyze, we push, we try to do something about it.

But there is another way.

What if, instead of trying to fix or explain what is unresolved, we simply acknowledged it? What if we let it be here, as it is, without needing to rush it into something else?

This doesn’t mean we stay stuck. It means we recognize that some things move on their own timeline, and forcing them into resolution before they’re ready often creates more harm than good.

Letting Unresolved Things Exist Without Judgment

What if we trusted that an unfinished story is still a valid story? That a lingering grief, a question with no answer, or a pain that hasn’t yet shifted is not a sign of failure, but simply a part of the human experience?

To witness something means to allow it to be seen—without changing it, without controlling it, without making it wrong for existing. It means meeting the unresolved with presence rather than pressure.

Some things in life will never have a perfect conclusion. Some emotions will return again and again, not because we are broken, but because they are part of the depth of being human. The parts of us that ache, that wonder, that remain uncertain—they do not need to be solved. They just need space to breathe.

What Happens When We Stop Rushing?

When we stop rushing, we notice things we didn’t see before. A sadness that once felt unbearable might soften when met with compassion. A question that seemed impossible might answer itself in time. A struggle that felt like a battle might simply dissolve when it is no longer being resisted.

And sometimes, what remains unresolved will always remain unresolved. Not because we failed to heal, but because it was never meant to be “fixed” in the first place.

There is peace in that. A slow, steady peace that doesn’t demand certainty but allows for presence.

So the next time you feel the urgency to solve what is unresolved, pause. Breathe. Let it exist without needing to be anything other than what it is.

Some things do not need to be solved. They simply need to be witnessed.

Embracing Shadows, Illuminating Hope,
Chelsey Fjeldheim, LCSW
Empowering Souls on the Path of Healing

Copyright © 2025 Chelsey Fjeldheim, Courage Speaks Counseling