Sometimes when I’m having a bad day or things aren’t going my way, I get caught in the trap. You know, the “No one understands” or the “my hurt is worse than your hurt” trap. When I realize that I am feeding into this type of thinking, I have to remind myself that it is a lie.
Of course, there are specific details that are different from other people’s struggles. However, the idea that my struggle or problem is so unique that others can’t relate or provide valuable advice is absurd. It’s a lie that somehow, I grabbed hold of when I was little. I acknowledge that maybe the little girl needed to this idea to survive back then. She was going through trauma and needed something to hold on to, and the idea that things were happening because the problem was so complex seemed reasonable. As I grew up though, this type of thinking became limiting.
It is embarrassing to admit that it took almost 30 years to capture the root of this lie. Every time I thought I had made huge progress; there she was again. The little girl hurting. I kept trying to move forward, but she keep popping back up in situations. I finally had to accept that although I had made tremendous improvement over the years, I had not dealt with the root of her pain which was causing this type of thinking.
As I began the process of healing from the root of this pain, I also realized that I needed to laugh more. I was carrying around a seriousness about life, and I needed to let it go and laugh. It’s okay to laugh even when what you are going through is sad, hard, or downright yucky. As HelpGuide’s article discusses laughing is great medicine. The health benefits are numerous including boosting immunity, lowering stress hormones, and preventing heart disease. By giving myself permission to laugh, I could address the childhood root issues without adding a sense of unbearable heaviness. I even found some videos on YouTube.com to help get the laughing started.
Last year was all about a growth spurt and maturing into the woman God created me to be in the beginning. I was reminded that it is NEVER too late to start learning and healing. You are NEVER too old. Just get started, and you’ll be amazed at what happens.