“You can change without healing, but you can’t heal without changing.”
Katherine Schafler, Psychotherapist
Some people mistakenly think that change and healing are interchangeable. However, the truth is that real healing is about more than just external shifts. True healing is about addressing what’s going on beneath the surface. By focusing on only external changes, we might see short-term improvements. But without actual healing, the patterns we’re trying to break often return. That’s true for mind, spirit, and body.
The Difference
Most of the time we don’t look to create change unless something isn’t working in our lives. Often we adjust to situations, until, for example, an unhealthy relationship becomes untenable or we hit bottom in a cycle of self-sabotaging behavior. Unfortunately, in any of these cases and many others, quick fixes don’t offer the type of healing necessary to keep those patterns from reemerging. And often any change we do create, in addition to being temporary, usually feels forced and is exhausting to achieve.
When we experience true health, that almost always leads to lasting change. As Schafler points out, genuine healing can lead to unexpected yet positive shifts. These shifts unfold naturally and easily. Someone who had been sedentary suddenly feels the urge to get up and move once they become emotionally unstuck. That person who knew how to push all your buttons no longer holds the same, if any, power. That bad habit just falls away, leaving you energized and giving you more freedom and options in your life. These things can’t effectively be forced, they just naturally happen when healing takes place.
Healing and Change
While psychologists like Schafler speak about healing in the context of mental and emotional well-being, the same principle applies to physical health.
Starting to make better lifestyle choices can be forced, or they can result naturally. You can start a new diet, commit to going to the gym, and just use your willpower to get through things you don’t enjoy but believe are good for you. Or, you can remember that true health comes when we focus on healing first.
Healing Through Chiropractic Care
Regular chiropractic care will provide immediate relief for any issues you might be struggling with, such as pain, inflammation, and poor sleep. Then, as you transition from Crisis Care to Lifestyle Care your body, mind, and spirit will feel better, and changes will begin to happen organically.
You will make the choice to exercise more, perhaps taking up a sport or hobby you had once enjoyed. You will make healthier decisions when it comes to eating as your body seeks the nourishment it needs. These choices will lead to less stress and allow you to sleep better, waking more refreshed and energized. Your improved mood and stamina will enable you to spend more time with friends and family, doing more things you enjoy and maybe even finding some new activities and hobbies to enjoy.
When the body heals, the desire for healthier choices often follows naturally. Healing and change work together, not against each other. And that’s true whether you are on an emotional or physical (or both) journey of healing.
Luckily, there’s a 100 Year LifestyleⓇ provider near you to help you on this journey. Together you can start where you are to create healing from within that will lead to whatever change you are seeking. You, too, can experience what it really means to live at 100% every day, possibly for 100 years or more.
The post The Interwoven Paths of Change and Healing appeared first on The 100 Year Lifestyle.
