How does a healing journey look? Does it look one specific way? Does it work the same for everyone?
No. As with any journey in anything, no one path will look the same. For instance, some people find the grieving process to be very difficult to go through while others seem to handle grief as if it were a main component of their life; however, that doesn’t necessarily mean they aren’t affected by it. Everyone just handles their lives differently.
Coping skills play a major role in this. If you weren’t raised in the best environment, you might not have learned proper coping mechanisms or even proper communication – which may have led you to having interpersonal relationships problems. You may have encountered counseling or therapy late in adulthood and figured it out. Or, you may not have – and that’s okay too. It’s never too late.
Here are a few things to keep in mind for your own healing journey (or others):
- At the beginning of a healing journey, it is common for an individual to cut off nearly everyone – then gradually let people back in. In some cases, these people may keep themselves cut off from everyone for what seems like forever, you can’t control their decisions but you can reach out and let them know how you feel. You may not receive a response, and that’s okay. You got your words out.
- Boundaries are important, and sometimes, cutting people off for good is a good idea – as long as you know why you’re doing it and you understand your long-term intentions behind it. Are you doing it to hurt someone or are you doing it protect your safety?
- A healing journey is NOT linear. It can be a maze, a cycle, or a mess. It’s okay to breakdown sometimes! Rally your support group to help you stay on track (or get back on track).
- Support is important. You don’t need a lot of people for support. If you can find 1-3 really close individuals that you feel comfortable being 100% vulnerable around, rally them as your support group. Communicate your feelings, fears, worries, goals, and dreams with them.
- There is no time limit when it comes to healing, and healing is never finished. Life happens, and we were meant to roll with the flow. Sometimes things will jump at us without warning; handle them carefully and with love and good intentions.
- The healing journey is not to be used as manipulation to hurt people around you – but, you can communicate your decisions respectfully, but be open to hear the other person’s side too. Communication (and relationship healing) is a two-way street. You’re only going to make progress if both parties can express themselves.
Hope this helps!
Eradication Wellness 