Healing is sticks and stones, icky goop, gum stuck to the hair, a stubborn stain—this list can go on and on. The thing is that healing is a disgustingly painful process. There’s a chunk of confrontation involved and possible grueling episodes of defeating personal villains.
Healing is often confused with being cured. The former requires addressing one’s mental health while the latter focuses more on the physical aspects of recovery (i.e., alleviating symptoms, getting rid of viruses and bacteria, fixing broken parts of the body, etc.).
“Addressing one’s mental health” entails acceptance of the situation. That thing happened, and there may be specific changes in lifestyle. In severe conditions, sacrifices must be made, such as quitting sports and other hobbies and passion. This kind of loss may be detrimental to a person’s mental health. Hence, healing might take time.
Healing is not linear.
There will be setbacks, and that does not mean a person is not making any progress. According to Personal Tao, “While a healing process may start simple to begin a process of fixing one part of our nature: the larger process of healing always will become a tapestry of actions that blend in elements of physical, mental and spiritual parts of one’s life.” It starts with acting on the problem, yes, but following through does not follow a concrete step-by-step process.
To continually heal, a person must strive for growth, and growth does not have a strict set of rules to adhere to. Each person has different ways to cope and learn in times of crisis. What’s essential is finding these coping mechanisms or factors that help propel one’s journey to growth and healing.
Here are two ways that can help with coping, healing, and growth:
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A healing environment
A healing environment promotes communication, social support, compassion, relaxation, balance, etc. From these words, it is natural to immediately think about a zen location where a person can just put their guard down and release all their worries. Nowadays, hospitals, clinics, and other healthcare establishments in Utah are evolving into a kind of medical construction that offers a healing environment by creating spaces that alleviate stress and anxiety.
They do this by adding key elements to the design, such as incorporating nature to the indoors and having a shared space for nurses, doctors, and patients to interact.
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Slow, steady, and little changes in everyday routines
It’s normal to wait for the courage and energy to create a drastic shift in one’s daily life. Maybe it’s a job or moving to a new city, but wholistic growth starts with gradual changes throughout the days, weeks, months, or even years.
For example, one can start waking up at 7 am every day until their body clock gets used to the new schedule. They can also do an evening yoga routine before going to bed to promote better sleep. It’s creating a positive habit that makes a significant impact on changing.
It’s not an impossible journey
There is no one recipe for success in healing and growth. It’s a rough path, too, but everyone is capable of moving past it and emerge a better person.