 At some point in life, we all experience emotional trauma, exhaustion, anxiety, etc. When going through these emotional experiences we must address the emotional healing process. Our emotional trauma can cause us physical pain. This is our brains way of telling us that we are ignoring our emotional experiences and pain.
 In the beginning it is hard to accept our emotional experiences and pain. In the beginning it is hard to accept our experiences instead of ignoring them. It is up to us to take action in order to heal. Healing takes time and we may not notice what stages we are in; we may just wake up one day with inner peace. There may not be an end to emotional healing, so support this process to improve overall well-being.
Examples of emotional pain:
- Abuse
- Divorce
- Trauma
- Loss Guilt
- Abandonment
- Rejection
- Failing
You can start emotional healing by:
- Have awareness
Having awareness and identifying the cause of your emotional pain and how you are avoiding it is important when starting to heal emotional pain.
Emotional pain not only affects our mind and emotions, but our body, physical pain, and soul as well. We must get to know how each process is affected and affecting each other due to the emotional pain.
- Be honest with yourself
Once you know how you are avoiding this pain the easier it is to admit the avoided emotions. This is key to the healing process; we cannot move forward without honesty.
- Express your emotions
This process is very important to releasing our emotions. This can be done by talking to a friend or therapist about your emotions and feelings. We can also journal these emotions if we feel more comfortable.
- Allow yourself to feel and be in the moment
Some of us may feel that it is not okay to allow ourselves to feel and be emotional. How can we work on healing if we cannot fully allow ourselves to understand our emotions in the present moment? Take time to sit in silence and truly listen to your emotions.
- Provide yourself the space to process and reflect on your emotions
When processing our emotions, we need calm and quiet places to reflect. Self-care can help us focus on our holistic being in each moment and feel more in tune to process our emotions. Reflect on your emotions and journey to healing.
- Be open to reaching out and receiving support from others
We cannot and are not meant to heal alone. Allow yourself to reach out to friends, loved ones, or a therapist for support.
- Take control of your life and act on healing
Take control, set goals, create a self-care routine, explore new places, and create lasting healthy relationships.
Take this moment to look at your life, what do you want your life to look like? Are you ready to take the time and energy to start healing? Know that healing is life-long and a work in progress, show yourself compassion during these stages of emotional healing.
No matter how much you do not want to involve others in your pain, do not let yourself heal on your own. As much as we would like to be strong and do everything on our own, we cannot fully heal on our own.
Progress takes time, work on one thing towards healing each day and do not overwhelm yourself. Be mindful of the healing process and what you need to do to fully heal. If you struggle with some of the stages of emotional healing, do not be afraid to reach out to your counselor or social worker for help.
