Why Healing Requires Action + 3 Things You Can Do to Start Healing Now

“Sure, I’ll be fine. I just need some time to heal…”
How many of us have uttered this tried and true phrase before. Or have heard a loved one say it? While the sentiment is fine, the reality is that healing isn’t just something that happens, not even with “time” (and lots of it). “Heal” is a verb and, therefore, action has to be taken in order to really make any progress. If we keep doing the same things over and over and just hoping that time will work its magic, we’ll never actually heal. Yes, time can make things hurt less or make our memory a little more foggy, but time itself really is never enough in terms of healing.
And because so many of us are under the impression that time really is all it takes, we find ourselves bitter, angry, and sad, unwilling to trust or to truly let go, but we won’t really say why. All of these hurts, even the smallest ones, add up if we never actually heal from them, and that leaves us with wounds that keep us from living our best lives.
Regardless of what you need to heal from (no matter how big or how small the pain might be), we all have to remember that we must actually do something in order for true healing to take place. So while you might need time to prepare to heal, somewhere down the road you’ll actually need to put one foot in front of the other and do something about it.
Ready to start healing?
Here are three actionable things you can start doing right now…
Three Steps to Start Healing Today

1. Talk about it. While you might not like the idea of bringing up something painful, the reality is that talking about how you feel, as well as what happened, is one of the only ways to truly heal. When you begin to open up about your pain, you start to relate to it in a new way, which can help you create mental space from the point of trauma. Of course, who you talk to is crucial. Before you open up to anyone, be sure they’re ready and willing to listen and, most importantly, are neutral to what you’re going through. If you’re needing to talk to someone right now but don’t have anyone to go to, try journaling or even talking to yourself out loud (as strange as that might seem, it really does help!)
2. Plan your next step. One of the biggest parts of healing is “moving on”, but all too often people think they’re moving forward when they’re actually moving backward, gearing up to repeat the painful storyline all over again. If you really want to start healing, you need to resolve the story that is the source of your pain (give it a good, positive ending), and then start something fresh and new. This could be a big step or a small one, but either way it’s decisive, healthy action that moves you forward.
3. Do something new. In the words of Oliver Wendell Holmes, Jr., “A mind that is stretched by a new experience can never go back to its old dimensions.” Healing requires that you become someone new, which means disrupting old patterns and habits with brand new experiences. Taking on a new hobby, signing up for a class, or going on a trip to somewhere you’ve never been are all ways to stretch yourself, and your mind, so that long-lasting healing can begin.