The day that we are all born, there is a freshness and newness to all of us. The moment that we take our first breath of life our story begins. The story may be determined by who your biological parents are or the situation that you are born into. The path of life that your will choose is yet to be determined. The Scars that life hands us creates a roadmap of our stories.
There are Physical Scars and Emotional Scars. I personally have a lot of Physical Scars. I had Malignant Melanoma when I was 26 which created a very large scar on my leg. Following that time in my life I have had many things removed from my skin, scars from two C-sections and four small scars from a hysterectomy on my stomach. When I was younger I was very self-conscious about my scars. As I got older I began to call them my War Wounds because each Scar represented either a trauma or a major life event. The emotions and pain from each Scar represented each personal war that I had been through physically in my life. The smaller Scars like the one I got on my thigh when I fell off my bike when I was seven, the bike bell dug into my leg. I can look at that Scar now and it carries a childhood memory along with it.
Physical Scars can be the result of physical abuse, a traumatic accident or other forms of Physical Trauma. Over time when looking at your Scars they begin to become chapters of your life story. The Physical Scars tell the story of what you have experienced in your life. Hence the term War Wounds. What do your Physical Scars represent for you and what story do they tell? As we look deeper into your Physical Scars they represent the struggles, triumphs and challenges you have gone through in your life. I would encourage you to change the perception of these Scars. I know they might not be pretty or have changed your appearance but they tell what you have overcome in life. I would love for you my friends, to embrace these War Wounds. Scars show the strength and inner power you have inside of you to overcome trauma. My Physical Scars make my body unique and different from everyone else’s. I think it is important to change your thought process about your Scars. If there is a Scar resulting from abuse, where are you now in that Journey? If you are currently in an abusive situation then maybe the Scars give you the strength to make a change in your life. Maybe, you are on the other side of former abuse and the Scars tell where you have been and how far you have come. These Scars tell a Story.
Embrace your Scars and what you have learned from them about yourself. Emotional Scars are what lies deep below the surface of the skin. Physical Scars are apparent to the naked eye but Emotional Scars run deep within our soul. Many Emotional Scars come from childhood. Things that we witnessed at a young age create a pattern of Emotional Scars that we carry with us into our adult life. Individuals tend to overlook things that have happened to them in their childhood that may have created Emotional Scars. Sometimes we have to go back to those Scars to identify patterns in our lives in the present. Many of your fears, weaknesses or unhealthy thoughts may have originated from your childhood. I know exactly where my body image issues stem from in my childhood; however, it took some insight as an adult to acknowledge the origin of the Emotional Scars. Children from divorced homes carry Emotional Scars that if not worked through can carry themselves into adult relationships. Emotional Scars must be understood and traced back to their origins. If you were able to look into your Soul, the Scars would look the same as your external Scars. Following the roadmap of these Scars will create insight, knowledge and improved Mental Health.
To embrace your Scars you just might have to share them with the people in your life. When I talk about my melanoma scar, immediately people ask if they can see it. I actually love showing this Scar. It is big, long and discolored. My scar is beautiful, it tells the story that I overcame a form of cancer and the journey that I went through. I embrace the Scar and the Journey. How can you embrace your Scars? What do your Scars tell about you? Do your Scars make you want to change aspects of your life? The Scars that are hidden to everyone else but you, do they make you want to scream? Do these Scars motivate you to make changes in your life? My Challenge to you is to analyze your Physical and Emotional Scars. What story do they tell about you and how do they make you unique? Asking the hard questions to yourself can be a challenge and at times painful. If you are hesitant to look at these wounds, then please seek out professional help so that you can begin to improve your mental health.
Physical Scars can take up to a year to fully heal. During this time you must be patient and take care of your scars. Emotional Scars need more work. Here are some tips on how to cope with Emotional Scars.
1. Go slow when you begin to identify your Emotional Scars
2. Seek out Professional assistance to process your Emotional Scars
3. Keep in mind you are not trying to fix yourself but are trying to learn healthy ways to cope with your Scars.
4. Setbacks are to be expected and please do not feel defeated when they happen
5. Keep moving forward in your process
6. Please be compassionate with yourself
7. Be open to looking into your past to identify the components of your Emotional Scars
8. Have your tool box full of Coping Mechanisms available to you at any notice when you feel triggered by Emotional Scars
a. Meditate c. Journal e, Talk to a friend G. Poetry
b. Exercise d. Listen to music f. Draw/paint H. Support Groups
I could go on and on listing Coping Mechanisms. These forms of coping must be individualized for each of you. There is no playbook on how to deal with individual Scars. The Coping Mechanism must be addressed based on the trauma and the most appropriate form of self-help to utilize. The secret is self-discovery of the Scars and where they will take you in your life. What can you learn from your Scars. Please if you feel inclined share your story of the scars that you wear externally and internally. Follow your roadmaps to living a healthier emotional lifestyle. Embrace your War Wounds and wear them like a badge of honor.
POSITIVE THOUGHTS CREATE POSITIVE ENERGY
GO OUT AND EXPLORE ALL OF THE WIDE OPEN SPACES IN YOUR WORLD
LISTEN AND EVOLVE WITH ME
CIAO
ILISE
