What do you do when you get a physical scratch? A cut in your skin? A wound that starts bleeding and causes pain?
You say, ‘ouch! That hurts.’ You acknowledge the pain and discomfort. You cover it with a band-aid at first, just to prevent it from getting infected or dirty. But once the wound stops bleeding, once it dries up, it’s better to give it some air. And allow nature to heal it through its natural processes.
That same wound wouldn’t heal if you covered it forever with a band-aid.
And so, it’s best to do the same with emotional wounds. Feel them, acknowledge the pain, and face it. Because only by facing it, will you heal. If you keep running away, if you keep applying band-aids, if you keep distracting yourself from the pain, it will come back again and again. You will simply extend the period during which that pain lasts.
Just as you tend to a physical wound by allowing it to breathe, acknowledging its presence, and facing the discomfort head-on, so too must you approach emotional and mental wounds. With the same care and attention.
“The pain that you are experiencing,” the Yogis remind you, “is not punishment, but is a necessary part of your growth. Such is life.”
You wouldn't ignore a physical wound, would you? So don't dismiss your emotional ones. Take a moment to say to yourself, ‘This hurts. This sucks and it really hurts.’ A physical wound needs air to heal, your emotional wounds need space to be expressed and processed.
Allow yourself to feel the full weight of your emotions without judgment. Give yourself permission to feel. And be compassionate with yourself. Treat yourself with the same tenderness you would offer to a wounded friend.
Meditate, reflect, journal, talk to a trusted friend or therapist. All these things can provide avenues for healthy emotional release.
Healing from emotional wounds requires patience, self-compassion, and your active participation. And remember, experiencing pain is a natural part of being human. Don’t run away from it. You won’t be able to escape it, anyways. Just apply the same principles you use to care for physical wounds.
