Looks like a pump, feels like a wingtip.
reminders
healing is not linear
grief has no deadline
you are not broken
now think back to a time in your childhood where you had no anxiety or worry
remember that your body remembers that and it is possible to feel that way again
(Source: 38618)
“Our own experience with loneliness, depression, and fear can become a gift for others, especially when we have received good care. As long as our wounds are open and bleeding, we scare others away. But after someone has carefully tended to our wounds, they no longer frighten us or others. When we experience the healing presence of another person, we can discover our own gifts of healing. Then our wounds allow us to enter into a deep solidarity with our wounded brothers and sisters.”
Henri Nouwen
Will You Get Bitter or Better? [Tiny Buddha]
The author writes about losing a kid, but what she says about loss and healing is pretty widely applicable.
My favorite lines:
Choosing to heal means letting go of the immediate reward of your suffering for the possible promise of future insight.
and
It is our shared suffering—our thorns—that make empathy possible.
9 Lessons on Loss, Forgiveness, and Healing [Tiny Buddha]
- Don’t believe people when they say, “It’s never too late.” This might sometimes be true but other times, it is not. Live now. Act now.
- Let grief take the path of least resistance. You may be under pressure to pull it together or get over your pain by the time your therapy sessions are up, but give yourself some breathing space. There is no cure, only growth. Take your time.
- Allow yourself to change. There’s no shame in developing a new attitude toward some bad feelings. Others may not understand why you may suddenly forgive after so much time spent being angry, but don’t worry. You are not static. You can change.
- Acknowledge your feelings and what you need. Denying your emotional needs will not lead you to recovery. If you need someone to lean on, lean on me. I will support you.
- Right thoughts, right words, right intent; this isn’t about brushing negativity aside or letting it take you over. Be honest about what troubles you. Speak truth. Be truth.
- Don’t live in fear. Take your right hand and thrust the palm outwards in front of you. Put a halt to all that will terrify and stop you from living. No fear. Be free.
- Love: so much better than hate. You have the capacity to love everyone, no matter what has happened, and even if the gesture isn’t given in return. Give openly. Receive gratefully.
- Walk on compassionate ground. Think of compassion as something that’s always with you, like the earth beneath your feet, instead of a “good deed’ you have to achieve every day. Let the path guide you. Feel free to make your own.
- Realize yourself. You deserve love and kindness too so give it to yourself. Let go of any guilt about being selfish. Enrich your heart. It beats for you.
