Our journey to optimal health comes with many ups and downs. Having a long journey of unexpected trials and tribulations is the case for every living thing. Yet, while stressed and battling pain- whether emotional, mental, or physical- we tend to forget to slow down. The act of slowing down and getting in tune with the healing process is also showing kindness to ourselves.
In this blog, we will discuss the act of giving grace to ourselves, even during the toughest of times. Learn how to see your healing journey through a different lens with these three tips!
Give Yourself Permission To Feel
Give yourself permission to feel pain, anger, sadness. These emotions are a normal part of the way we express ourselves as humans. Ignoring these feelings can cause emotional build-up that leads to stress, anxiety, and even physical pain.
Our body uses signals to tell us when we feel unsafe or safe. It also tells us when we are misaligned and out of touch with our true "self." Ignoring the not-so-pleasant part of our healing journeys also hinders our ability to recognize the signals that tell us to stop, rest, and realign with our values and purpose.
Masking your feelings is not normal and is somewhat destructive to our body's ability to heal. So, once again, it is normal to feel positive AND negative feelings. Acknowledge your emotions and what is causing this reaction (physically, mentally, and emotionally).
Acknowledge your progress
Sometimes we may feel like we are regressing on our healing journey, or at some times, maybe even stuck. Often when we suffer from trauma, whether small or big, our mind's response can be to flight, flight, or freeze. The fight, flight, or freeze response are normal protection mechanisms the mind uses when there is a threat. Therefore, going into a heightened stress response state is not a bad thing, but staying there long-term can be heavy on our overall wellbeing.
The ability to acknowledge where you are in your healing process can help you determine what type of self-care or support you need to move forward. Acknowledge your efforts in getting to where you are today. Reflect on your progress, big or small, can help make space for self-love, self-efficacy, and kindness to yourself.
You Deserve Love.
You know the commandment, "Love your neighbors as you love yourself"?
The world would be in perfect harmony if we could all do this. Unfortunately, sometimes we forget to love ourselves. And if we experience chronic pain, sometimes it's hard to practice loving ourselves or trust that our bodies will not betray us and cause us pain.
Even when we do not feel comfortable showing love to our bodies, try to show kindness to the parts of the body that feels bad, just as much as those that feel good. Practice non-judgment and meet yourself where you are in your healing journey. Being able to show love, even when frustrated and upset, is a hard job to execute. But, when we try to begin doing this, it gives our nervous system the chance to feel safe again to heal.
Need more help healing from the trauma of chronic pain? Click the link below to watch our founder, Amari Dior, talk with Pierre-Etienne Vannier about "The Concept of Holding Pain."