Each of us experiences suffering and pain throughout our lives. We can either learn from our pain or we can inflict more pain on others and ourselves. Many of my friends often feel that they don’t deserve to feel unhappy or stuck because by all accounts, their lives were pretty normal so they should just be happy. The problem is that our “normal” society fails to meet our basic health and emotional needs. We don’t teach our children about things like self-care, emotional wellness, consent, conflict resolution or mediation. How can we then expect our adults to navigate life in a world full of economic uncertainty, death, depression, and disconnection?

"Although the world is full of suffering, it is also full of the overcoming of it."
- Helen Keller

Even if you had a perfect childhood in which you felt loved, safe, and worthy I’m willing to bet there are some aspects of life that you’d like to improve. If the thought of emotional, psychological or relational healing makes you uncomfortable, I encourage you to question that discomfort. Do you find yourself immediately creating excuses for why you don't need to heal? Do you feel confident navigating feelings such as stress, uncertainty, vulnerability, success, love and power? Can you be happier? Can we be happier? Do you love yourself? Can you love yourself more? Do we love our friends and family the way they deserve and need to be loved? Can they do better? Can we all do better?

Illness and diseases change our lives and when our bodies are hurting, our minds and souls experience pain as well. If we are battling a physical illness or disease, it is even more important to work towards healing our whole self in order to truly recover. Our mind and body work as one and though physical and emotional suffering are different, they are intertwined and connected. The physical body reflects and holds onto emotional trauma and pain. I know in my own journey listening and paying attention to my body’s physical feelings has been key to getting to the root of my deepest emotional wounds.

Here are some examples of things we may need to heal from:

Check out my post on what healing looks like and comment with what healing means to you! #LetsEvolve