When we experience emotional distress it can be expressed in many ways: anxiety, sadness, anger, stress, physical ailments, irritability, a broken heart, rejection, depression, obsessions, trauma and addictions, among others. Often it feels as if we can never recover and return to our healthy, balanced selves. In this article I explain what emotional healing is, when it’s needed, steps and techniques for healing and when to seek help.
What Is Emotional Healing?
Emotional healing is the process of recovering from these wounds and patterns of coping. In general it involves acknowledging, accepting and processing painful emotions or experiences. It is a complex process that requires time and patience.
The journey to recovery varies with each person, both in time and intensity, depending on what they are recovering from. It’s a process that involves the head, the heart and the body. Understanding the healing process can help you better engage with this journey, one of discovery of yourself as well as your relations with others. This understanding may also better help you identify the kinds of support that can help in this process.
When Is Emotional Healing Needed?
The act of living means we will all confront challenging stressors in our lives that bring forth difficult emotions. And to some extent or another, we all need to experience and process these feelings. If we are unable to do so, we risk remaining stuck in an unresolved and self-limiting state, perpetuating a cycle of distress or illness with various negative emotional, physical or cognitive consequences.
There are many stressors that can lead to the need for emotional healing, including:
- Relationship breakup
- Divorce
- Death of a loved one
- Chronic illness
- Physical, emotional or sexual abuse
- Loss of employment
Steps to Emotional Healing
Emotional healing is not an easy thing. The first thing to do is ask yourself what you’re healing from and how your life would be different once you are back on track. This perspective taking is key. While there is no one way, here are steps you may take to heal emotionally. The path through these is not linear and may involve stops, starts and returns to a previous step as you process more deeply.
- Awareness: Acknowledge your emotions and understand the effect they have on you. Write them down in your journal. This is your starting point.
- Acceptance: Acknowledge your emotions without judgment or resistance.
- Processing: Actively explore your distressing feelings. Use a variety of ways including reflection, reading, viewing videos, journaling, conversations with friends, or therapy.
- Releasing: Let go of the past experiences, thoughts or feelings that are hurtful. Find healthy ways to express yourself and free up your emotional energy. Use artwork or music to freely express what’s inside. Try dancing to release pent-up energy and stress. Go for walks.
- Growth: This involves the painful but liberating process of creating new meaning with renewed strength as we move through our healing and learn .
- Integration: Incorporating the learnings you’ve made, with deepened feeling, you begin to apply them to new goals, friendships and relationships. Tune into the wisdom of your body and the concealed messages it holds.
- Transformation: With deepened resilience and your perspectives renewed, you are able to embrace life fully again and manage new challenges with greater inner strength.
Emotional Healing Techniques
The National Institutes for Health proposes the following helpful techniques in its Emotional Wellness Toolkit [A]:
- Build Resilience:
- Develop healthy physical habits
- Take time for yourself each day
- Look at problems from different angles
- Practice gratitude
- Explore your beliefs about the meaning and purpose of life
- Tap into social connections and community
- Manage Stress:
- Get enough sleep
- Exercise regularly
- Build a social support network
- Set priorities
- Show compassion for yourself
- Set aside regular times for mindfulness meditation
- Seek help if needed from a mental health professional
- Get Quality Sleep:
- Go to bed and wake up at the same times
- Exercise daily but not right before bed
- Limit the use of digital devices before bed
- Keep naps early and short
- Consult a health care professional if you have sleep problems
- Strengthen Social Connections:
- Get active and share good habits with family and friends
- Build strong relationships wit your kids
- Take a class
- Volunteer in the community
- Join an interest group
- Coping With Loss:
- Take care of yourself
- Talk with caring family and friends
- Join a grief support group
- Don’t make major changes right away
- Talk with your doctor if you have trouble with everyday activities
- Be patient. Mourning takes time
- Be Mindful:
- Take deep breaths. Exhale slowly. Repeat.
- Enjoy a mindful stroll
- Practice mindful eating
- Be aware of your body
- Find mindful resources
How Long Does It Take to Heal Emotionally?
The healing time for emotional growth and transformation is highly variable with each person. It depends on the depth of distress or trauma you have experienced, its severity and the level of support you have. For some they may see progress in weeks or months whereas for others it may be years..
When to Seek Help
Your readiness to seek help determines when is the right time. This may be shaped by the depth of distress you feel or by your resistance to doing the work. It’s always better to seek help from a therapist or counselor sooner than later so that you are working from a place of greater strength, relatively speaking.
Corner Canyon Can Help
Treatment is available in Utah. Are you or a loved one looking for a compassionate space to heal from mental health issues? Our licensed professional therapists and counselors can provide compassionate help. Reach out to our Admissions team now at Corner Canyon Health Centers. We’re in a peaceful setting bordered by the beautiful Wasatch Mountains.
Sources
[A] Emotional Wellness Toolkit. 2022. National Institutes of Health.
