I’ve talked a lot about healing and the ways that we can heal, but I’ve never told you what healing is. The truth is, I’m still figuring out what healing is. Healing is a completely natural process. Google will tell you that healing, as a noun, is the process of making or becoming sound or healthy again.
Healing is about a lot more than going from physically unhealthy to physically healthy, though. Healing is also more than symptom removal, but sometimes our path of healing still leaves us with symptoms. I’ve turned to blogs and “healers” via the web in an attempt to get some answers about what healing is.
A widespread consensus seems to be that healing is an ongoing process and transformation. One blogger, Lauren, even went as far as saying that “healing is not a destination.”
If healing isn’t a destination and it a continuous process and transformation, what is being healed?
The dance of true healing, states Lauren, means negotiating self-compassion and self-endurance. Healing means gathering up the conviction to face uncertainty. She continues on by saying that healing is a journey that unconditional love nurtures, and you face the accusatory chatter inside your mind with compassion.
These are goals that we can work towards, and now we have one person’s idea of what healing is. One person's idea, however, is not the only material available.
When it comes to healing blogs, I’m sure you’ve noticed that comments can be just as beneficial, if not more so, than the blog post. Knowing this, I took to the comment section of the blog.
One lady named Lauren G said that being grateful for all the healing she has achieved makes a huge difference. She said that she used to focus on what still needs improvement, but it ruined her happiness and peace. With that in mind, try to applaud yourself for the little victories. After all, healing is a journey, not a destination.
Another lady who commented on the blog named Lisa went as far as printing out Lauren’s blog and putting it in her daily binder so she can always read it to remind herself that she is allowed time and permission to rest, to heal, and to treat herself kindly. Not everyone needs a binder to help them heal, but Lisa, who underwent a routine shoulder surgery to be left bald in a long recovery with drastic weight loss, finds the binder helpful.
Lauren didn’t comment back on many of the comments, but she commented back to Lisa. In that comment, Lauren said something that I think is pivotal when you are on a journey of healing: your healing journey is leading you to your incredible inner strength.
That is profound in such a simple way. We all like to think that we have the strength to continue on with no problems, but the truth is, at least for me, inner strength seems to falter fairly often. The journey of healing can perhaps let us nurture our inner strength and provide us with the material we need to believe in our inner strength.
If you aren’t feeling like Lauren gets it, perhaps you will like the idea that there is a oneness of body, mind, and spirit. There is also an idea that you must take responsibility for all that you have been, all that you are, and all that you will be. Take responsibility for your life.
Taking responsibility for your life can perhaps tie into what Lauren was saying about how you face the voices inside your head.
Healing is a tricky thing. Remember to celebrate the small victories since the small victories may make all the difference. I’ve put the link to Lauren’s blog below in case you wanted to read it for yourself. It’s a short little blurb, but you might find it helpful.
I completely agree with you that physical healing is different. It’s easy to see when someone has healed physically, but it’s hard to tell when emotional healing has been reached. As well, not focusing on healing emotionally can lead to physical problems. An article by Psych Central said that holding in negative emotions causes stress or depression, which in turn can lead to physical problems as serious as heart disease. The key point of the article was that people need to learn to learn how to “express uncomfortable feelings” as it’s “healthy, not only for your mind, but for your body and soul as well.” I think this idea is similar to the ideas you included in your post, which is that healing isn’t a destination but a process where we work on positivity rather than negativity. I like the idea that there are no set criteria for when emotional healing is reached, as people are different and therefore are different in how they heal.
ReplyDeletehttps://psychcentral.com/blog/archives/2013/10/16/unpack-your-emotional-baggage-to-help-your-body-heal/
I completely agree that not expressing uncomfortable emotions can lead to problems. I have a friend who couldn't express any negative emotions about her body and developed an eating disorder, which can cause other issues in your body.
DeleteI don't know why, but I was surprised to see that there was research on that.
I totally agree that healing is a journey, not a destination. I've had depression almost my entire life and have been through quite a few traumatic events. Something I've not really done is celebrate the small victories; I've always focused on the next problem that I never bothered to think about how far I've come. I think that's a common feeling with people who've been diagnosed with illnesses (physical or mental) or have gone through traumatic physical, emotional, and sexual abuse; healing becomes this need to keep pushing forward no matter what. Healing to me is realizing that no matter what you've been through, you're still here and you are worthy of love, respect, and kindness. It's a long journey to make towards healing, but the road is paved with good.
ReplyDeleteI, too, tend not to celebrate the small victories. I have tried to start celebrating the small victories more often, but it is hard.
DeleteRecognizing what you can do to stay on the path of healing is always the first step.
I think simply being at a point where you WANT to heal is a victory in itself. Realizing that you are are worthy of something more, or something better, is an important step.
ReplyDeleteI know your blog focuses more on mental and emotional healing, but I could not help but think of those fighting illness when I read this post. When Lauren said, "after all, healing is a journey, not a destination," I immediately thought of my friend Britta. Britta is currently fighting for her life in West Penn Hospital, taking absorbent amounts of chemo. She has a bone marrow transplant scheduled later this week that is going to save her life. She is healing, sort of, by taking in large amounts of chemotherapy. This is a step in her journey to transplant.
I also think when you're battling something like cancer, or in Britta's case, leukemia, you have to get your spirits high and realize you are worthy of a better life. If you let the depression eat you, it becomes harder to fight.
With this in mind, I've learned to celebrate the small victories, such as simply hearing she did not have an allergic reaction to a medication.