What is emotional healing? It’s the process by which you recover emotionally and mentally from a negative life experience. You can’t keep tough times from appearing in your life, unfortunately. However when you are emotionally healthy and balanced, you are better equipped to deal with those difficult situations that inevitably pop up, and you can move on with your life.
Sometimes, we don’t understand we need emotional healing. That’s the problem. If you suffer some injury and have a broken bone, you can see it. You can certainly feel it. You know you have to get it fixed.
This isn’t always the case when your emotions are out of whack.
You might think your emotional responses to your experiences are correct and healthy. They may be anything but. Here are five signs you could use some emotional healing to live a more complete and fulfilling life.
#1 You Don’t Experience a Wide Range of Emotions
Psychologist Robert Plutchik, who was a professor emeritus at the Albert Einstein College of Medicine believed you have access to 34,000 different and unique emotions. He stated that most of us only experience eight primary emotions most of the time. These are anger, sadness, disgust, trust, fear, joy, surprise and anticipation.
If only a couple of those are usually present, you probably need more emotional balance. This could indicate that you aren’t properly processing situations and human interactions.
When I am working with someone, I ask them to tell me how they are feeling and more often than not, they can only come up with only 3-4 emotions. So my work is to help people feel safe and give their feelings permission and name them, because You can’t heal what you don’t feel.
# 2 Low Self-Esteem and a Poor Self-Image
This is an offshoot of what we just talked about. You constantly look down on yourself. Everyone has times when they doubt their abilities. That’s only normal. We recover and move on. The emotionally unhealthy person usually has a low sense of self-worth, even when there is evidence this isn’t the case.
Sometimes, you might feel like you’re not good enough or doubt what you can do. That happens to everyone now and then, and it’s okay. We all go through moments like that.
But, there are some people who often feel really bad about themselves, even when there’s proof that they’re actually pretty awesome. It’s like they have a low opinion of themselves all the time, and it’s not because of what’s true or real.
It’s like their emotions are telling them they’re not good, even when the facts say otherwise. That’s what we mean by an emotionally unhealthy person—they struggle with seeing their own worth, and it can be tough for them to move past those negative feelings.
#3 You Have Difficulty Trusting Others
A lack of trust can come from emotional imbalance. You must love yourself and truly believe you can overcome a bad experience, or you’ll never trust others.
Consider trust as a crucial connection between individuals, like a bridge. When emotions are in a state of imbalance, it’s akin to a shaky foundation beneath this bridge of trust.
For this trust bridge to stand strong, you need to foster a positive relationship with yourself. Essentially, it involves acknowledging your worth and embracing the belief that you possess the resilience to navigate through challenging experiences. Without this internal foundation, it’s as if the bridge of trust struggles to take form.
Trusting others starts with trusting yourself. If you water the trust-bridge with self-love and the belief that you can handle tough times, then trusting others becomes a bit easier.
#4 You Can’t Move Past a Negative Experience
Life can be difficult, at times seemingly impossible. It can throw challenges that might feel impossible to overcome. It might feel like you’ll never recover in the middle of the most trying hardship.
In those tough moments, it might seem like healing is a distant dream, but you’re stronger than you know, and recovery is within reach.
Please, don’t let negative feelings take hold of you. Instead, focus on the good things in your life; let gratitude be your guiding light, helping you find strength in even the smallest positive moments.
When times get really tough, remember you’re not alone. Your friends and family are there for you, ready to be the support you need. But if those tough emotions won’t let go, it’s okay to seek professional help.
Taking that step doesn’t mean you’re weak; it means you’re brave enough to prioritize your well-being. Together, with the love around you and the help you deserve, you can find a path to healing and embrace a brighter future.
#5 Constant Anxiety and Stress
Chronic stress is a killer and has been directly linked to many common causes of death. A constant display of stress and anxiety could mean you’re not always responding to life correctly where your emotions are concerned.
There is no miracle pill you can pop to always enjoy perfect emotional balance. You will have ups and downs, experiencing difficult times that hurt you emotionally.
For you to live your best life and for those that you love, you need to learn to recognize a negative life experience, give it its due, and then move on. Consider seeking help if you often display these signs of poor emotional health.
If you’re spotting signs that your emotions could use a little TLC—great job! Taking care of your emotions is like giving yourself a mental high-five. So, if the things we talked about sound familiar, it might be time to take a step towards feeling well again.
To help you out, I have a free Feelings Wheel for you that can make figuring out your emotions way easier. Just click here to grab yours and start your journey towards feeling better!
Till next time
Much love ♡
Ally
