Emotional Pain and How to Heal it

Emotional pain is one of the worst types of pain we can have. There is no doubt that each of us have experienced our very own dose of emotional pain, but we also know that we have some good ways of dealing with it, and some not so healthy ways of dealing with it.

Drinking, drugs, smoking, eating, and other addictions can often lead to a life much worse than the one we thought we already had. Can you think about a time when you have done something to cover up your pain, and it wasn't a healthy way of doing so?

There are tons of ways to deal with our emotional pain in a healthy way, and I want to share with you what they are. There is a way to overcome all things, and of course with God all things are possible. Let me tell you a story.

Facing Emotional Pain Head On

To help you understand how you can deal with the tough stuff in life, I want to share a story with you that should resonate with almost anyone. 

Seven years ago, a friend of mine went through a tragic event in her life, and at the time, she just wasn't sure how she would ever see the good in it, or deal with it head on to help her live her life. She had been violated sexually, and naturally, this is one of the hardest things to overcome. 

It's so personal and so private, but during the healing time, she ended up drinking and using drugs to help her eliminate the pain from her life. The emotional pain from being sexually assaulted is something that even psychologists will tell you is very difficult to overcome without intense counseling and therapy. 

She avoided getting professional help, because she didn't want to be labeled as someone that had something wrong with her, because she was the one assaulted and not the other way around. What she didn't understand at the time was that yes, she was right! 

She was the victim, however, what she would learn later is that she didn't have to be in that state of mind, or be a victim for the rest of her life. She discovered that "being the victim", left her in a captive state, and without freedom to live her life. 

What allowed her to exit from the cage of pain? It was forgiveness! 

Forgiveness is the Key to Releasing Emotional Pain 

While some of you may feel this is a completely inaccurate way of healing emotional pain, I can assure you that the ultimate in doing so is forgiveness. It doesn't make what the offender did okay, by any means, but it does release you to heal. 

This also doesn't mean that you have to talk to them or be friends with them. Forgiveness is all about letting go, and detaching what they did from the idea that they did this to you because you have no value. 

I can prove this in a few ways:

1. Those that have been sexually assaulted have low self worth
2. Those that take their life tend to love others and reach out to them more than they do for themselves 

This is a sure sign that these individuals seem to believe that they have no significant value in life, and they feel as though they don't fit in anywhere. This is a lie! You are valuable, and you do matter! In fact, studies show that when kids are raised with this outlook in life, they grow up with less emotional strain and they are ultimately more successful. 

Forgiveness is NEVER easy, but it takes courage. The easier path in life is to be angry and stay that way, but that life won't bear any fruit. If you are experiencing emotional pain, seek help from someone that can provide you with sound and Godly counsel, and live courageously!