7 Powerful Signs That You Are Healing
When we are on our journey of healing it can be hard to notice when we've arrived. If we do not give ourselves credit for how far we have come it can feel like nothing has changed. That feeling of hopelessness can have us quitting prematurely. That is why we have to celebrate the small and large ways we grow. But don't fret! Next week's post will explore how to get out of a rut if you feel like you are not starting to heal yet or your journey has hit a lull. Check in with yourself to see if any of these signs of progress and healing have started to occur in your life. If you struggle to identify any growth it can be helpful to take a step back by asking a trusted connection if they have seen a shift in you.
1. Symptom relief: You are starting to notice that things are improving. This can look like being less stressed, more energetic, or you are having less negative thoughts about yourself. Journaling can help us to keep track of symptoms. While it is not a sexy idea to catalog the extent of our symptoms and things that are bothering us; it is a helpful way to notice when intensity or occurrence of symptoms starts to change.
2.Gained insight and acceptance of who you are: When things start shifting our confident does too! Feeling better about who we are and our abilities to get things done means we are Self- Assured. The reason this points towards healing is because we can better tell the difference when things are our own situations to work on- and when it is someone else's baggage being put on us. Insight means we can make decisions based on our values and what we want- and know that we have what it takes to get there.
“How liberating it is to pursue wholeness instead of perfection.”
― Morgan Harper Nichols
3. Being hopeful for the future: Is it easier to get out of bed now? Are you looking forward to what the future holds- even if it is unknown? If you find yourself being hopeful and planning for the future when in the past you have been more avoidant- you're on the right path! If this is an area you're trying to work on, start planning something small for yourself- a luxurious bath this upcoming Sunday, a coffee date with yourself. Whatever tiny pleasures you would be excited about having in your life.
4. Gaining a skill that helps with your day to day life: A serious struggle some therapy clients have is using the coping skills learned in session. Incorporating new ways of being into our daily life- taking action- can feel impossible. So when you are seeing that you have a new skill that you're able to use on the regular that is major! Taking action and actually practicing the things we've learned is the best way to get them to stick.
5. Feeling less guilt around mistakes and being able to forgive others: With increased insight we can also let go of the past mistakes we have made instead of fixating on them. Guilt and shame are notoriously hard to shake because for many of us they started taking root during times when we were most vulnerable and we have used this energy to push ourselves harder. Shaming ourselves into healing is a set up. Acceptance and forgiveness is where it's at! Not only will we notice we forgive ourselves but we may have the capacity for forgiveness of others (pss...this does not mean forgetting though).
6. Having less negative thoughts about yourself: This does not happen miraculously yall. It is an active process of us noticing when we are being too hard or downright mean in how we speak to ourselves and we self correct. We refuse to accept the negativity our mind automatically jumps to. Instead we check ourselves, shift those thoughts towards what we are aiming for and take it from there. For example, giving yourself some grace looks like replacing the thought "I mess up everything, I'm a failure" with "I am learning and that's ok".
7. Sticking to your routine: Whew! This has been my struggle during COVID times. This habit reinforces itself. We feel better the more we stick to our routine and sticking to our routine consistently is a sign that we are doing better. As humans we love structure and predictability because it takes less effort than coming up with a plan frequently. Having a set routine eases our mind and body into new tasks such as shifting from evening tasks to wind down at bedtime. Regular morning rituals, exercise schedules and self-care routines are sure fire signs you are healing.
If you have not yet started to see these signs of healing- it's all good! Small steps in the right direction add up. It takes time to notice shifts but if you are intentional and consistent- change will come.