Self healing is a process whereby the body heals itself. It can do this by closing wounds, repairing broken bones, fighting off pathogens and replacing damaged cells.
It can also strengthen the body’s resistance to illness. This can happen when you activate your own healing powers and make healthy choices.
1. Meditation
Meditation is a healing technique that can help reduce stress, anxiety and depression. It can also strengthen your ability to focus and increase concentration and memory.
Meditation focuses the mind on one object or activity to train attention and awareness. Studies show that focused-attention meditation increases mental strength and endurance, especially for people who are working to improve their attention spans.
Several forms of meditation – such as mindfulness, breath-focused practices and meditation involving guided imagery – induce relaxation effects. Deep relaxation is the antidote to stress, which causes most illness, disease or dysfunctions in our bodies and minds.
To begin meditating, sit in a comfortable position and focus your attention on the sensation of the breath as it enters and exits your nose. As you notice your thoughts drifting, gently bring your attention back to the breath.
2. Talking to yourself
Talking to yourself is a natural part of our cognitive and emotional development. It helps us focus, process thoughts and regulate emotions more effectively.
It may also lead to a more organized and productive day. In fact, a 2019 study suggests that external self-dialogue (that is, talking to yourself) can even boost memory and help manifest your intentions.
People often hear that talking to yourself is a sign of mental illness, but it’s not. Psychologists don’t think that frequent self-talk is a sign of schizophrenia, which typically involves auditory hallucinations.
However, if you do hear voices or experience other hallucinations, it’s best to seek help from a mental health professional right away. This can help you get to the bottom of any issues that may be causing them. Then, you can work with a therapist to develop strategies for coping. This could include talking to others in your life or finding ways to distract yourself from your negative thoughts.
3. Forgiveness
Forgiveness is a self healing technique that can be helpful in resolving emotional pain and suffering. The process involves recognizing your own responsibility for the harms you have caused others and the negative consequences that resulted from these actions.
It can also help you to release the anger, resentment, and hurt that you feel toward someone who has harmed you or made a mistake in your life. Taking these steps helps you to release the energy that these feelings consume, which can help you to heal emotionally and mentally.
Often, forgiveness is not necessary or possible to express directly to the person who hurt you. It can be done in your mind or to a friend who you trust.
There are many types of emotional pain that can be addressed with forgiveness, including anxiety, depression, unhealthy anger, lack of trust, self-loathing or low self-esteem, a negative worldview, and an overall sense of unworthiness. It can be difficult to forgive yourself, but it is a powerful way to heal.
4. Gratitude
Gratitude is an expression of appreciation for the things you have and the people you love. It’s a natural and instinctive feeling that strengthens relationships, and its roots run deep in our evolutionary history.
According to research, gratitude can help us reduce stress and anxiety, lower blood pressure, improve sleep quality, and more. In addition, it helps boost our resilience to stressful life experiences.
For starters, it’s essential to practice gratitude with a strong focus and intention. This is why many self-help books on gratitude recommend starting the day with a meditation and breath control session that helps calm your mind and focus on the good.
Keeping a gratitude jar or small box and writing about one thing you are grateful for each day is also an excellent way to practice. A jar can be a visual reminder of the many things you have to be thankful for, and it’s easy to add to as new things come into your life.
