One evening, I went to visit my husband in his meditation space. Two candles illuminated the darkness and soft music caressed the air. Laying upon a fold-out futon, snuggled under a light blanket, he was quietly engaged in a body-scan meditation, a mindfulness-based stress reduction technique.
I smiled, thinking, “He knows how to create an especially relaxing and healing environment, doesn’t he!” I even felt a wee bit envious.
Why Do We Neglect Our Own Healing?
Why do we neglect our own healing? Although most of us need healing on one level or another - emotional, physical, mental, or spiritual - often we’re held back because we:
- Don’t believe we can truly heal
- Don’t feel we have the time
- Feel guilty when we take time to relax
We stay busy because, after all, there’s so much to do, isn’t there? There are so many external demands that suck up our time and take precedence over our own healing. Or, we obey the inner messages that say we're too busy, it's impossible, or we don't deserve to take care of ourselves.
So we keep running down the same old track, getting the same tired results, and never feeling a sense of true contentment. Because our regular habits are what we know; they feel comfortable in a funny sort of way.
9 Things to Know If You Want to Heal
I've fallen prey to all these same obstacles myself. But, in the process of seeking my own wholeness, these are a few things I've come to know for certain about healing:
- Acknowledging your suffering is the first step toward healing.
- If you want to heal, it takes time, focus, and consistent action.
- If you don’t take time to heal now, there’s a good chance you’ll get worse. That means less happiness and more distress down the road. And, being forced to take the time you think you don’t have now when/if your body or mind breaks down.
- You alone are responsible for your healing. Healthcare or healing practitioners may support you, but no one else can truly heal you.
- It’s not selfish to focus on self-healing, especially if you dedicate your healing so that it brings benefit to others as well.
- Recognizing your suffering has the power to gradually open your compassionate heart. You’ll begin to see so many others are suffering just like you are.
- Healing in many ways is an important purpose of our life. As long as you are caught up in transitory and self-centered patterns of endless thoughts and emotions, you’re missing your true self. You’re missing all the fundamental goodness within that could be shared with others.
- Obsessing about your own well-being will boomerang and just make you worse.
- You may not be able to heal physically, but you can always heal your beliefs, your emotional patterns, and sense of spiritual separation.
Your Journey to Healing Begins in Every Moment
Every moment offers the opportunity for change. So just start right now. Here are 6 simple ways to start or restart on your healing journey.
Decide what healing would look like for you. Can you imagine this - you fully healed and whole? Write or draw your vision of wellness. Pin it someplace you’ll see everyday. Practice visualizing yourself as the loving and radiant being you truly are.
Embrace the idea that you deserve to heal and can indeed heal. Find a cozy, peaceful place and make a short list of any inner messages that keep you from taking time for self-healing. Create counter-messages. Then practice one at a time until it easily rolls off your tongue and your mindset gradually begins to change.
Select the specific practice(s) you will use. There are so many ways to heal from tiny steps to huge leaps. There isn't one right way. Follow your own intuition and find out what works for you. Be willing to experiment. Drop what doesn't work and keep trying something new until you find a good fit for yourself. Consistently work on one new strategy at a time until it’s established. Then move on to the next.
Determine how much time you're willing to give to your healing - more or less - each day or week. If it feels overwhelming, you can start small and build up from there. Even 5 minutes a day can be a good start if you continue consistently.
Create a cozy and supportive atmosphere for your healing. This might be as simple as lighting a candle or brewing a comforting cup of aromatic tea. Or, you could make a special healing spot in your home. If nature calls to you, go for a walk or grab a blanket, picnic basket, and your journal for an extended immersion.
Look for healing in the right place. I spent so many years looking to doctors for physical healing, when true healing awaited me within. Eventually, I did find physical answers too. But, they only emerged after I stopped frantically searching outside of myself. If what you're doing isn't working, turn around and look in a new direction.
You deserve to heal in every possible way. This is a good time to reinvigorate your healing intentions for the year, and open to your best possible self.
A few days ago, an amazing astrologer spontaneously peaked into my Vedic chart. He reminded me how essential MOVEMENT is to my health. I will use movement as one way to heal myself.
How about you? How will you heal yourself? I would love to hear from you.
Thank you for your presence, I know your time is precious! Don’t forget to sign up for my e-letter and get access to all the free self-development resources (e-books, mini-guides + worksheets) in the Always Well Within Library. May you be happy, well, and safe – always. With love, Sandra