What is a healing journey and why should I start on one?

Healing Journey…where do I begin?! Ever since we were hit with the life changing global 2020 pandemic most of us have had a wakeup call to wanting to live healthier, more stable, and healed lives. But what does it even mean to heal, and do I need to heal from you may be asking…

Well all that depends on where you are personally. A simple way to break it down would be to start with the 5W’s-

The Who, What, When, Where and How. Asking these questions can help simplify things to gain clarity as to if a healing journey is right for you.

Solar Return in Big Sur, CA

So first of all let’s start with the “WHO” and that would be You. Looking at yourself and the life that is being reflected back to you are you good with it? I call that this step self-awareness. Self-awareness can be the most difficult part of the process because it means taking a unfiltered look at yourself and how your beliefs, words, and actions have contributed to what it is you see, feel, and have become. Sometimes what we see in our lives we’re good with and sometimes we’re not,(The pandemic awakening-we were at home for almost 2 years, so we had to to see ourselves) this is where a choice lies to either do something about the circumstances or stay in the same place. If you’re leaning towards I need to do something about this then that’s a great place to be, you can then begin to move into the WHAT aspects of your healing journey.

Now let’s identify the what. What exactly needs your attention, this is where you can begin to hone in on what is the thing that you’re not ok with in your life is it something about your character, your relationship with yourself, your relationships with others, or where you are in your life, what is “the thing” that needs your attention. Once you’ve identified that you can move into the WHEN. When did the “what” take a turn or when did you begin to notice you were no longer feeling good about whatever that thing is. Was it something from childhood, did it start in a past or current relationship, did you go somewhere and have an experience that caused you question things. This aspect of the process can be difficult because you’re tapping into memories so show yourself compassion and patience as you unpack the emotions that may come up during this time.

Once you’ve narrowed down the when now you can move into the WHERE. Where looks like “finding” where you need to go and/or what you need to do to begin getting the help and support you need. These two things can be layered and can take time to navigate but like the saying goes “when the student is ready the teacher will appear.” This may mean seeking out a therapist, reading new books, joining a community that is focuses on health and wellbeing as it relates to whatever it is you want to address.

Lastly the HOW the how is always the most challenging of the equation because all of this can feel overwhelming to figure out, but the how is just simply putting one foot in front of the other and starting with some of those things in the previous paragraph. It’s reading the books related to issue, it’s talking to a friend or loved one about what you’re going through, it’s scheduling an appointment with a therapist, the how is the journey. It’s a marathon not a sprint, no quick fixes here, so offer yourself all the patience, compassion, and grace you need to live through it.

Going on a healing journey has been one of the best decisions I’ve made, I would not be anywhere near where I am now had I not looked at my life and decided that I needed to get help. One of the powerful things about my process was that I did not journey alone and neither do you. Know that I’m here for you and happy to hold space for you as you travel on the journey of your healing.

Here’s a playlist I put together that helped me get through when I started my journey, give it a listen to keep you inspired and showing yourself some love.

Live Lite,

Safia