In a World Where All Are Wounded, Not All Is Lost

It is impossible to live in this world without realizing that there is a lot of pain and suffering all around us. Watching the news, perusing a social media feed, or just observing the interactions of people we come across during the everyday journey through life will confirm this reality on a regular basis.

Although we can see the evidence of deep emotional wounds all around us, my message is not a message of doom and gloom. It is a message of hope.

It is the message that these wounds we experience can be valuable access points of light and opportunity in our lives, in our families, in our communities, and in the world.

As individuals receive healing and light, they can share that light and healing with their friends and families, who in turn can strengthen their communities. Little by little, the light of individuals, families,and communities can begin to heal the pains of a wounded world.

Sometimes we don't even recognize that we've been wounded before the overwhelming feelings of heartache, worry, and despair begin to consume us. The wound may have come from someone else initially, but, in many cases it's our own thoughts and feelings that become a prison cell that is difficult to escape.

I've fallen victim to this myself multiple times. It's not a desirable place to be. So, how do you escape from this vicious cycle that literally feels like a personal hell of your own making?

I believe the ultimate key to solving this problem is to choose to see our wounds as opportunities rather than debilitating conditions.

Let's quickly review a few options of how we can choose to deal with these hurts that can seem so overwhelming in the moment.

• We can ignore the wound and try to act as if it's not there. Certainly if we ignore it long enough it will just go away, right? Unfortunately, this is almost never the case. It is much more likely that as we try to convince ourselves and others that there is nothing wrong, we will become hardened and callused (and in turn numb or angry). Sometimes the wound even begins to fester and spew out a toxic energy that proliferates the suffering within ourselves and often causes hurt to those around us.
• We can acknowledge the wound, and become obsessed with it until we are consumed with our suffering or what we may view as personal weakness. This is somewhat like compulsively picking at a scab so that the wound's effect is multiplied from what it would have been if allowed to heal. In this situation deep depression or anxiety have a prime opportunity to overtake us. This often leads to more obsession with our condition which leads to more anxiety and depression. Nobody wants to get caught in this whirlpool where you inevitable feel like you are drowning and there's no hope of getting out.
• We can acknowledge the wound, and choose to view this seeming frailty and weakness as an opportunity. We can see it as an access point for light, love, and healing to enter us. This doesn't mean that we are in denial or ignoring our wound like the example above mentions. It means that we acknowledge the pain we are going through, but focus on the light that can come from the experience rather than fixating on a sense that our ability to feel hurt is a weakness. Over time, instead of being consumed with suffering we are filled with light and self worth. As we view the wound as an opportunity to see how we can grow or add beauty, compassion, and love to a hurting world, we begin to radiate light from the inside out and can embrace the opportunity to ease the suffering of others.

As soon as we choose to see our wounds as empowering opportunities, we are able to leave the victim mentality behind and begin our personal healing process.

This article from Psychology Today gives a psychologist's perspective of how this process can look.

The first step for everyone who is seeking healing and light is to choose to see the wound as a place for light, love, and healing to enter. After that, there isn't necessarily a one size fits all approach, but here are a few ideas.

• My number one go to source for mental and emotional healing is always my Savior, Jesus Christ. I know not everyone shares my belief system, but for those who do, prayer is a powerful tool. I don't normally say prescriptive prayers, but there have been some times when I felt prompted to pray that any thoughts and feelings I was experiencing that didn't come from me or my Heavenly Father and weren't for my greater good could be taken from me. This prayer has proven to be extremely beneficial. I've felt dark and heavy burdens lifted in the moment that I asked for relief, and I've seen an increased amount of light in my life. Sometimes I'll include this in my prayers for a few days just in case there is any darkness still trying to linger and hang on.
• Journaling is another powerful tool for processing wounds and finding the light that is ready to come in. I truly believe that our mess is our message. Often as I'm journaling, I discover that my experience can bring great light and healing to others. That's actually how I ended up coming up with the idea to write this.
• Service is a great way to let light and love into your heart and share it with others at the same time. You can serve by being a great friend or family member, or you can look for volunteer opportunities in the community. No task is too big or too small in the world of sharing generosity and compassion with others. No matter how you serve, you will find that the love you feel for others will be a healing balm to your heart.
• EFT (emotional freedom technique) tapping can be a great tool for processing any type of wounds. It involves lightly tapping on pressure points while talking through thoughts and feelings. This small investment of time has yielded great dividends in my life. Here are some great links to videos about what tapping is and how to do it.
• For some people therapy and even medication may be important parts of the healing process. Not everybody needs this, but depending on what you are going through, it might be a necessity. If therapy or medication are a necessity for you, count these options as a blessing instead of a curse. Some people judge themselves harshly for needing professional help, but this judgment is unnecessary and unhealthy. You wouldn't judge a cancer patient for getting cancer treatment, and you certainly shouldn't judge someone with emotional needs for getting the treatment that is necessary to help in the healing process.

I struggle with anxiety at times. Fortunately it's not usually a debilitating condition for me, but occasionally I'll go through a spell where it feels like the anxiety is out of control, and in turn, my whole life feels out of control.

Several months ago I went through one of these experiences. Something relatively small triggered the whole experience, but my anxiety levels gradually increased for several weeks until I got to a point where it was adversely affecting my quality of life. I was in a very dark place.

Then one evening I came across some powerful words by Rumi who said, "The wound is the place where the light enters you." Those words spoke straight to my heart.

I already knew that I was in a very broken condition, but at that point I chose to see the wound within me as a place where light could get in that wouldn't have been able to find its way inside of me otherwise, and for the first time in weeks, my heart was at peace.

I let go of all the harsh judgments I'd been subconsciously holding towards myself.

The anxiety and pain I was experiencing wasn't an indication that I was a weirdo; it was a very strong indication that I was a human being. I finally had the clarity of mind to realize that it's not fair to hold myself to a standard of mental and emotional perfection that I would never hold anyone else to.

I realized that I'd become so obsessed with the anxiety I was experiencing that I was feeling more panic about the anxiety than about the initial wound that had triggered the anxiety in the first place.

I prayed for the light and healing that I was so desperate to receive. I had been desperately pleading for this light and healing for weeks, but my heart and mind weren't truly open to receiving it until I embraced the wound and saw it as an opportunity to be filled with the light, love, and healing Christ wanted to give me all along.

For the first time in weeks I was able to quickly fall into a deep sleep, and woke up excited for my day the next morning.

I know that my experience is unique. Not everyone will experience healing in the same way and many won't experience it as quickly as I did in this specific situation. That being said, I also know the way we choose to look at our experiences can have a huge impact on the way we think, feel, and act.