We hear a lot of talk about emotional healing, but what exactly does that mean? It refers to becoming aware of our emotional wounds and emotional distress, which has been caused by past experiences, and choosing to take steps towards resolving it. It involves acknowledging and processing emotions in a healthy way. Loving an alcoholic, you will know the emotional roller coaster – the sadness, disappointment, anger, fear, and the grief. Emotional healing means we find ways to cope with and use those emotions in our lives in a positive way.
But often the challenge can be identifying what emotions we are feeling, which can keep us stuck and unable to heal.
Most of us can typically recall three emotions. To further complicate things, when we feel emotional, it can be hard to label what we are feeling. It often feels like a mix jumbled bag of emotions. The more we are able to identify and label our emotions, the easier it will be to feel our emotions and heal. In her book Atlas of the Heart, Brene Brown identifies 87 emotions. If you are struggling to label what you feel, this article on How to identify your emotions may help. It includes a useful wheel of emotions.
Emotional healing involves:
- self-reflection,
- self-awareness, and
- self-care.
There are many activities you can explore to aid your emotional healing – talking to a therapist or counsellor, journaling, practicing mindfulness, engaging in creative expression, spending time in nature, or connecting with supportive friends and family. It is a unique and individual journey, as everyone experiences emotions differently and may require different approaches to heal.
The goal of emotional healing is not necessarily to erase or forget past experiences, but to acknowledge and process them in a way that promotes growth, self-compassion, and resilience. It allows individuals to release emotional burdens, develop healthy coping mechanisms, and ultimately move forward with a greater sense of emotional well-being and inner peace.
Start jotting your emotions down in a journal. Pause every day to check in with how you are feeling and see how that begins to help you.
If you are wanting help with your self-care so you can create lasting changes in your life, join the Blossome community for support and encouragement while you learn how to take care of you. Follow a guided journey at your own pace, while you build healthy new habits, stay accountable and keep moving forward with your healing. You are worth it. Join the Blossome community.
Kim Moore is the Founder of Blossome CIC. She lost her husband Chris to alcoholism in 2017. She faced a difficult journey while raising 2 children alone, with her family living on the opposite side of the world. Kim founded the Blossome Community and The Pathway to Peace healing journey so no one would have to feel alone while enduring the trauma of a loved one’s battle with alcoholism or addiction. She is also on a mission to end the generational cycle of alcoholism and addiction in families.
