Self healing looks different for everyone but there are some key principles that carry through. It is likely that your journey will include dips down and times of challenge but the aim is to keep coming back up stronger and stronger each time.
Cultivate gratitude to encourage yourself on your healing journey. You may also try externalizing your feelings and thoughts to an impartial third party for healing support.
Mindset
Mindset is the set of assumptions that help you distill your worldview, manage expectations and determine what steps to take. A growth mindset is the belief that you can change, transform (or heal) and grow over time. A fixed mindset is the opposite.
Many people who struggle with chronic illness or pain assume that a cure will be the outcome of their recovery journey. But healing is so much more than just a physical or physiological process, it’s also a psychological journey through forgiveness, purpose and reconnection to self.
A resilient mindset can promote positive changes at the cellular level and speed up healing. I’ve heard numerous stories of people who were given a fatal prognosis and used their mindset to shift their outcomes. A resilient mindset allows you to remain hopeful and believes that you can rise up after each dip. This is so important for the journey of self healing. It can be very tempting to fall back into old patterns after you’ve made progress, but remember that it’s normal to experience a fluctuation in your symptoms.
Exercise
Exercise has a unique capacity to exhilarate and calm, to counter depression and dissipate stress. Whether you are a recreational athlete or someone who struggles with anxiety disorders and clinical depression, aerobic exercise can be an invaluable part of your healing journey. Exercise, along with mindfulness, meditation, challenging negative thoughts, and setting boundaries, are examples of self healing practices that can be incorporated into your wellness routines to promote healing. It is important to note, however, that self healing should not be considered a substitute for professional care by trained mental health professionals. We are wired for connection and self healing is a process that should be undertaken with support.
Sleep
Getting enough sleep is essential for self healing. Modern medicine has an entire field devoted to sleep and the problems that can impact it. The relationship between health and sleep is complex – poor sleeping can lead to worse health, and mental health issues like anxiety and depression can often underpin sleeping problems. A combination approach of treating the health issue and improving the quality of sleep is often the most effective. During sleep the brain reorganizes and catalogs learned information and memories – a process that is similar to a librarian sorting and shelving books at the end of the day. This work is vital for memory retention and long term health.
Deep sleep is when the body finishes the physical recovery work begun during N1 and N2 stages. Waking up before this stage is finished can be detrimental to the body and brain.
