“Having serious mental illness often leads to serious physical illness.”
https://www.cnn.com/2022/12/10/politics/bill-cassidy-mental-health/index.html
“The body heals with play
The mind heals with laughter
And the spirit heals with joy.”
My goal each day is to keep the pain of past traumas at a safe distance. Beating back haunting demons is a lifetime struggle and work in progress.
Some of the things we can do to help with troubled hearts and souls include these goals…
Play with abandon…
Even before learning about my damaged soul, I discovered very early the healing value of a day full of hard work and play. Work was play for me back in the day. Anyone lucky enough to love your work knows that good cheer and team work makes for a good day.
Going home at the end of the day happy and excited makes for a good night with family and friends. During the prime of my career experience, the special years in the 80s, I couldn’t wait to get back to my office most days.
Laughter is good for the soul…
In work, we laughed and laughed, smiled and laughed again at every opportunity. When we met targets, it was high-fives and a celebration. Bells would ring, with hugs and cheers.
When stumbling and bumbling the ball, it was mostly a constructive experience. It was also not without yelling, screaming and cussing. Venting is good. Relief from stress and anxiety made it much easier to jump back into the cockpit and try again.
As a kid living at home, mistakes were met with anger rather than lessons learned. It was tough to learn how to gain confidence in believing that without mistakes, success was elusive.
A joyful spirit thrives…
My soul needs nurturing just like everyone else on the planet. How you do this is your choice. Engaging with others as kindred spirits is by far the very first step in healing your heart and soul.
This can include religion, exploring nature, mindfulness meditation practices, exercise, sports, and many more opportunities of your choice. In my experience, the worst thing is being alone and isolated when help from others is critical.
Try trauma Informed therapy and learn healing techniques
Work in progress…
After a lifetime of experience navigating serious challenges connected to my own trauma, as a kid and in the Navy, I’m totally convinced that these painful struggles need deliberate determination each and every day. Keeping emotional pain and your pesky demons at a safe distance is a very bumpy road and slippery slope.
It’s like skiing down black diamond runs at Mission Ridge near Wenatchee, Wa., finessing moguls and dodging threatening trees without crashing head first. Downhill skiing, and other challenging sports like surfing and hiking, kept me focused minute by minute, feeling as light as a feather, and free as the Eagle.
As I’ve aged, finding new ways to keep my balance, avoiding pitfalls and setbacks, is a daily discipline not to allow my guardrails to fall. Ask anyone who suffers from the symptoms of past traumas, and they will have their own unique stories of keeping pain at a safe distance from a damaged soul.
Learn from others who fight daily battles healing hearts and souls. Stay engaged. Surround yourself with kindred spirits who love who you are without judgment.
Never give up. Tomorrow is a new day. The past offers no reward or healing value. Believe me, it’s not easy to heal your body, mind and spirit. We can do this together, I know…
