While we are on this self-assessment journey, and nearing the end of 2024, your homework over the last two weeks was to revisit Releasing Hurt and Forgive and Forget to check your healing process and to not allow undesired weight to be brought into the new year. In revisiting these prior blogs, you should be able to track your healing progress from last year to the present, understand the importance of processing the emotion of hurt in a healthy manner, and how walking in healing looks.
Tracking your progress can be traced by reading over your journal entries. The beauty of writing down what you are feeling in that moment (1) allows the flow of the emotion to move through your mind and not hide only to be masked by a misplaced emotion, and (2) allows you the time to look at what hurt you - causing the offense - from a different perspective instead of being reactive to the hurt leading to offense. Hidden hurt can manifest as a physical ailment when it’s buried instead of delt with. These ailments are rooted in resentment, bitterness, hatred, insecurity, and fear, to name a few, that once the root is revealed and released, you notice migraines, forgetfulness, mood swings, and insomnia disappear. In looking at the situation from a different perspective you’re able to see the part you played in the disagreement that may have escalated the situation to bringforth the hurt. In the end, if you are not truthful about your genuine feelings because you are afraid of being judged or being vulnerable, you’re only delaying your healing.
Processing the emotion of hurt in a healthy manner involves actively managing the hurt through a holistic approach. Allowing yourself to feel each emotion without letting them consume you is a supernatural act that you must invite God into for total healing, this is the first step. Other steps to deal with hurt are:
*physical activity – jogging, high impact workouts, walking, stretching, massages
*mindful practices – meditation and deep breathing
*creative expression – writing, painting, singing, music
*social support – friends, family, counselor, therapist
*setting boundaries – guarding your heart from people and situations that are triggers
As mentioned in Forgive and Forget, a way to gauge if healing has taken place is when the hurt of what happened no longer triggers sadness, anger or any other emotion. The power of what hurt you no longer rules over your life. Stay tuned for next week where the final entry in this series will explain how God is invited in for total healing and walking out in that healing.
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