FIVE WAYS TO HEAL YOUR EMOTIONAL WOUNDS
I have a lot of battle scars from emotional wars I’ve gone through. To be honest, there are too many to count. I spend most of my time ignoring them and pretending they aren’t there. Sometimes I even forget them, but somehow, they always pop right up when I least expect them to. Usually it’s someone or something that triggers them to reappear because I honestly never intentionally invite them back. Once they are back though, it’s never easy to get rid of them again. They are emotional wounds and they are the elephant in the room or an uninvited guest that is completely invading all of your personal space. I’m just picturing that one relative we have to talk to at family parties. That’s what these wounds feel like.
Society does not encourage us to talk about our emotional wounds. . It’s not cool to talk about your emotions in society and its definitely not encouraged. I may have really said that were true about 10 years ago but times are changing. THe fact that divorce rates are so high among other “psychological issues” we face here in America at least, going to a therapist or finding some professional to confide in isn’t for only a select few. More and more “regular” people are going to therapists to find a middle ground to solve deep issues that have been embedded into their subconscious for years.
As a teenager, a breakup was a miserable time, you sit at home crying and eating a tub of ice cream. At least that’s what television taught me it was supposed to be. Its acceptable to be sad when you break up, go through a divorce, lose a loved one or get into an accident. Yet other than major events like that, anything in between we are supposed to just kind of ignore and maybe put a little coconut oil on it and rub it away. Yeah right, let’s be real. When something hurts us emotionally, it cuts right through the heart. Maybe not a big cut, but a little stab for sure.
Here are five ways to heal your emotional wounds
Go on a solo trip
I used to think that if I traveled more, I would find myself. This is very true if you travel alone. You have no choice but to look in the mirror and face yourself. It’s just you and your thoughts. Take a road trip to somewhere 5 hours or more away. Spending time alone in the car gives you a lot of time for self-reflection
Write it out!
Since I knew how to put together sentences, I’ve been writing. Whether I am in the car, or on the plane, I write. And then I write some more. It is therapeutic and it gives you the opportunity to learn about what’s going on in your head. The best writing is the one that doesn’t involve any specific topic, it just flows from the heart. Writing provides you a beautiful space to heal.
Spend time in nature
Whether alone, or with others, going into nature is like going into your heart. There is just something mystical about being in the middle of a forest where all you can hear are the birds around. Even if you live in a big city, I can guarantee you, nature is just around the corner. Get the full benefits of nature by camping.
Create, create create
Draw, paint, make music, take pictures. Do whatever your soul wants to do. Creating is a beautiful form of expression. Channel that pain, or anger into a beautiful masterpiece. There are SO many ways to create. This site created 100 ways to express yourself creatively.
Acknowledge your wound
This should have been step #1, but is there any real set order of how life is “supposed” to happen? Everything else on this list is healing for your wounds, but it doesn’t fully heal them if you have yet to acknowledge they’re even there! Your wounds want your attention, they need to be nurtured and loved. That’s how you heal them.
