When You're Ready, This Is How You Heal

by Brianna Wiest

When you feel the impulse to judge another person, remind yourself gently that every time you do so, you only continue to narrow your own self-approval. State what you are feeling, in clear and honest terms. This will help you process and accept it, even if it doesn’t make complete sense to you right now. Interrogate one negative thought. Instead of running on autopilot, stop and ask yourself: Is this true? Do I know for a fact this is true? Who told me this is true? Then ask yourself: Does this thought help me move my life in the direction I would like it to go? Give yourself permission to rest. If all you were able to do today was wake up and keep breathing, that’s okay. Make a to-do list, then cut it in half. Then cut it in half again. You should be left with the one or two most imperative tasks. Focus on those and only those. Go from there. Meditate on how far you’ve come. Make a list of all the things you have, do, and feel that you never imagined would be possible. Meditate on how much you’ve overcome. Consider everything that happened in the past that you swore you’d never get over, and note that you always did. Express genuine gratitude. Find something you are actually happy to have. If feeling good is too far from where you’re at, just try to feel neutral. Sleep when you are tired.