The concept of healing sounds beautiful in theory. You walk into the light, and step into a new awakening. You become a better, more evolved version of yourself. It all sounds remarkable, and it is. But in reality, healing takes work, a lot of it. The work can be grueling and uncomfortable. It is difficult to determine if our efforts are worthwhile in the midst of healing traumas, unlearning harmful pathologies and growing. But, the good thing is there are ways to track the growth. Here are signs your healing work is working.
Things That Used to Bother You No Longer Do
Sometimes people misuse ‘triggered.’ But it keeps showing up in our conversations for a reason. It’s easy to be annoyed by the world around you when you have inner work to do. Feeling triggered is how our body and mind tell us we need to address some things. When you begin the healing process, you discover ways in which you are the problem. So you work on yourself instead of trying to control other people’s behavior.
You are More Clear About What You Do and Don’t Want
The unhealed versions of ourselves is often confused. We don’t know ourselves well enough to know what we want from life. It can lead to a lot of unrest and chasing after unfulfilling jobs, people and things. As you heal and learn more about yourself, you lean into what makes you happy.
Some of Your relationships Changed
When you step into the more evolved version of yourself, you’ll likely enforce boundaries. The people who genuinely love and care about you will honor them and treat you with the same love and care. For those of us with codependency issues, it can be truly heartwarming to know we don’t have the constantly people-please to be loved. On the flip side, people who benefitted from taking advantage of you will likely get a little testy or fade away entirely. It might be painful, but they’ve done you a favor.
You Spend Your Time Differently
Whether you’ve stopped saying yes to things you really don’t want to do or you’re dedicating more time and energy to your actual passions, healing tends to put you in touch with your younger self or inner child. Our childlike selves are hedonists who want to do the things that make them happy. That can often mean cutting out events and activities that feel like obligations.
You Have More Grace For Others
When you see other people acting up or acting out, instead of taking it personally you recognize the pain they must be in and extend grace. After all, you may remember some of your own unseemly behavior on your journey toward healing. Recognizing that we’re all learning and growing at different paces helps us move through the world with compassion.