Healing

When I started thinking about the concept of healing, I realized the myriad ways we can hurt. Our bodies can hurt, our feelings can hurt, our brains can make us think we’re hurt as a form of self-preservation. It’s actually kind of a miracle that there are ever moments when we feel fully un-hurt. 

I know I’m not alone in being bad at letting myself have the time I need to heal from things. I want to get back to living, to move around, to feel normal. But often I end up hurting myself even more when I don’t take the time I need to rest and heal.  

In fact, I had this entry in my rough drafts for over a month, but it didn’t feel like the right time to post it. Then I was under the weather recently (hence the missing newsletters the last couple of weeks). After stepping back and doing the right thing by resting, I knew it was finally the right time to publish this entry. 

I find that another annoying part of healing is that everyone heals differently. There is no benchmark specific to you. Because we have different bodies, different lives, different everything. Even identical twins haven't had identical lived experiences, haven’t felt the same emotions, etc. 

We are all different. So what one person needs is very obviously and understandably going to be different from you. It may even be different from past versions of yourself! 36yo Natalie is NOT doing a great job at accepting that she heals from injury a lot slower than 26yo Natalie did, but those are the facts. 

So I’m constantly reminding myself not to rush the process. It’s not going to help anything. Our bodies are trying their hardest to execute a slow process while also being bombarded by the necessity of movement, the strain of mental stress, and the pressure to be socially available to friends, family, and at work.

Listen to your physical body, your subtle body, and your inner workings that make you human. You will let you know when you're ready, when you’re healed. Previously, I wrote about trusting your gut, and your gut will definitely let you know what the right choice is with regard to your own health.

As some readers know, my mom passed away last year, and I still get clobbered by grief out of nowhere. And every time I can’t help thinking, “I should be over this by now.” But I’m not, and I don’t know if I will ever be. Sometimes we never fully heal from things. Knowing and accepting that is also part of the process. 

Surgeries may take longer to heal than we’d like. Maybe your body has changed and you simply can’t do the things you once could. That takes some mental healing to come to grips with the fact that your situation has changed.

The Greek physician Hippocrates said, “Healing is a matter of time, but it is sometimes also a matter of opportunity.” What would it look like if you created the opportunities for yourself to heal? If you noticed that you need time, space, rest, or whatever else you require to heal? 

This week’s 1% Better challenge is to meet yourself wherever you’re at in your healing journey for whatever it is you’re healing from. If you need space from people, take it. If you need to skip a workout to let your body rest, do it. If you need to cry, do it. Look for ways to give yourself the opportunity to heal and to show yourself grace for however long it takes. 

With gratitude,

Natalie

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