Self-Healing for a better life
Everyone has at one point or the other struggled with mental health or physical health challenges. And depending on the severity, you may have seen a professional to help you through it. At other times, and especially for physical injuries, we have homemade remedies to help with wounds, injuries, or pain. But is there a way to heal yourself from mental agony? Yes there is. But when it comes to mental health, it can be a tricky balance to determine what you can do by yourself, and where you will need professional help. If the issues are overwhelming, please talk to a certified counselor.
If you feel like you need healing, then it is likely that you’ve recently experienced something that challenged you emotionally. It may be a mental health problem, or a physical health issue that is as stressful as it is painful. Learning how to heal yourself can bring you back to a state of well-being. This article shall help you explore strategies to heal your mind, body, and soul. And the best part about self-healing is that you can do it anytime, whether sick, well, and everywhere in between. Before we explore the different self-healing techniques that you can try, let us first define self-healing and see who mostly needs it.
What is Self-Healing?
Self-healing is the process of recovery from ill-health (mostly emotional). You may have read about healing from things like trauma, depression, anxiety, and stress, so you know a thing or two about healing the mind.
Self-healing is beneficial to everyone, young or old, because we all struggle with the remains of past emotional or physical challenges. Not many people completely heal mentally from the challenges they have faced in life, in the same way a physical wound leaves a scar. However, unlike the physical wounds where the scars are isolated, mentally, these many traumas accumulate to become a mental health problem that causes anxieties, stress, and depression.
Before you begin the self-healing process, make sure you are highly self-motivated and dedicated to do it consistently. The same way it takes time to build a new life skill, self-healing can take time and effort. You need to engage in it consistently to see results.
Self-Healing Techniques
Before you begin the journey to self-healing, make sure you observe a good nutrition and a regular exercise routine. These are essential for self-healing and a strong foundation for a mentally healthy life. It is also important to note that we are all at different stage of mental wellness, so there is no specific routine of practicing these techniques that can work for everyone. As you practice each daily, the goal is to find a perfect blend that works best for you. These self-healing techniques are designed to benefit both your emotional and physical health. They will help you feel slightly better immediately, but the real gem is when you practice them regularly. Consistent practice will have long-term positive changes in your brain that will contribute to your happiness, resilience, and well-being.
- Practice Self-compassion
Whereas we are kinder and empathetic with others going through physical or mental pain, we are often harsh to ourselves. How many times can you remember getting mad at yourself for being sick or unable to get over past hurt or rejection? The problem is that by doing this, you make it harder for our body and mind to heal.
Self-compassion is an excellent technique for self-healing. You can begin by writing yourself a self-compassionate letter where you will tell yourself kind things and write about how you will support yourself in the near future. You should also consider setting healthy boundaries. If you struggle with boundaries, click here for our article on learning how to set healthy boundaries. You should also consider assertiveness in your communication so you be able to articulate your needs with clarity and get them respected by others.
- Purpose to get more sleep
This cannot be emphasized enough, our bodies do so much of our healing when we’re asleep. Lack of sleep weakens the immune system making it harder for the body to heal itself as research has shown. Lack of sleep also increases the levels of stress hormones like norepinephrine and epinephrine, which is why you feel more anxious and burned out when you don’t sleep well.
Many times, we stay up late and get up early. You can recall the number of times you have forced yourself to stay awake when you were tired. Sleep is usually the least priority for many people, yet it is most essential for self-healing. Especially when battling a major physical illness causing you a lot of stress and anxiety, long hours of sleep will go a long way in hastening your healing process.
- Self-heal by breathing deeper
Strange as it may sound, taking long, deep, breaths, is a technique that has been practiced for thousands of years. Breathing exercises are known for their effectiveness in calming your mind and body. Especially if you have been under stress, trauma, or physical health issues, for a long time, your body’s “fight-or-flight” system has likely been activated for a while, and needs to return to a less stressed state.
Another good breathing technique is “box breathing”. Here you count to five while doing a four step breathing exercise. Count to five while breathing in. Holding the breath for a count of five. Exhale at a count of five. Hold for a count of five before breathing in again. Sparing a few minutes every day to do these helps boost stress/anxiety relieving activity, and your body recovers from past challenges.
Also…
Visualizing yourself in a relaxing, ambient space can help soothe your body and ease your mind. Also make time to listen to soothing music in a calm, peaceful environment from time to time. Cut out foods that cause inflammation like hydrogenated oils, sugar, and caffeine. Most importantly, start a gratitude journal. This helps bring more positive emotions into your life. The positive emotions help fight the negative emotions that prevent healing.
We all have something we need to heal from, be it physical, emotional or both. But in each and every one of us lies a lot of power to make positive changes to our well-being. We can change the way we think and how we treat our bodies for the better. Only this way can you begin to heal from the past challenges experienced.
