Healing is chaotic. It takes courage and faith in our own strength. When we are afraid to feel, we block our ability to heal. Our wounds may still be gaping, but there is a beauty in the struggle, beauty in each scar and power in growing through distress. Our wounds remind us that we are warriors, that's where the beauty is. Healing will crash down those walls we worked to build and force us to rummage around in our own souls. Healing is violent and so intense; we cannot rush recovery but we can learn to face our fears and fall in love with the truth of who we are. Our bodies may be delicate but our spirit is fierce! You are not your illness. You have a story to tell. You have a name, a history, a personality. Staying yourself is part of the battle.
The beauty of life is, while we cannot undo what is done, we can see it, understand it, learn from it and change, so that every new moment is spent not in regret, guilt, fear or anger but in wisdom, understanding and love. Never be afraid to fall apart because it is an opportunity to rebuild yourself the way you wish you had been all along. Whatever our past has been, we all have a spotless future.
Be kind to yourself. Take long walks in the countryside and beside the sea. Meditate. Breath. Listen to the rain on the windows and allow the sun to reach your face. Read lots of books - all sorts of books! Educate yourself. Talk to people. Bake cakes and give them to your loved ones. Give your time to help others. Take a moment, sit back and marvel at your life; at the heartache that is making you wise and the suffering that is making you strong. If you have the wind knocked out of you, don't let it worry you; pick yourself back up and become the hurricane! Instead of saying 'I'm damaged, I'm broken, I have trust issues say 'I'm healing, I'm rediscovering myself, I'm starting over'. Despite everything, you grow. Be proud of this. you are a warrior, never forget that. You've got this.
