What’s Therapeutic for You?
Reading Time: 8 Minutes
What’s therapeutic for me, your significant other, friend, family member may not be therapeutic for you & that is okay.
What the world or influencers or highly esteemed individuals propose as “therapeutic” may be anything but therapeutic for you if you’ve had certain experiences in life… but, because it’s common, you hear about it all the time, or if it works for others you think something must be wrong with you, if you don’t find it helpful.
What feels therapeutic to each of us differs based on our upbringing, challenges we had to face, events we’ve been through or are still processing, & the picture of our overall health.
What you find therapeutic may be nerve-racking to others & what others find energizing may be exhausting to you.
Some like a still, calming activity while others like a sport or a high energy activity.
That’s the beauty of honoring & recognizing individuality yet, it’s so often overlooked, downplayed & even shamed when it doesn’t appear mainstream.
“Part of managing overall health is having a space where we’re most free, free to create, free to express, free to share, free to be who we are as unique individuals.”
Inability to use your voice, to express freely, lack of creative space or outlets can contribute to worsening overall health.
In some cases it can even be the origin of a health condition (**not always**).
It’s vital to have an outlet or activity that makes you feel uplifted, & it’s okay if you haven’t figured out the thing yet, keep trying till you find it.
You don’t have to be good at it either, the purpose is for it to serve as a space for you to feel whole & fulfilled.
It’s also important to recognize that what was helpful at one time may not be any longer, it’s important we allow change & a shift so we can benefit whilst evolving instead of resisting.
“If something doesn’t feel therapeutic to you, don’t force it, try something different, maybe invite it back in at a later time to try again.”
Never let anyone make you feel less than because certain activities aren’t helpful for you.
You are You. There is only one. Your differences are what makes you, YOU.
I love painting & drawing but I am terrible at it, that’s okay though because it makes me happy. When I create something for someone, even if it isn’t perfect, the joy of the creation comes through. I feel it, the recipient feels it & it has served its purpose, it’s therapy.
I also LOVE to play video games, this is one of the most therapeutic activities I engage in regularly. I wasn’t allowed to play them as a child, so it wasn’t until I was in my twenties that I really played myself.
It has been a very healing outlet for me, as strange as that sounds. Many would think that it’s stupid or a waste of time but for me, it’s a comfort & therapeutic, which is what is most important.
For the longest time I fought myself when it came to what outlets & activities were helpful in moving me through life or helping me process what I’d been through, or what I was going through.
I allowed entities to influence my thinking as if something was wrong with me, or I hadn’t “ascended” because a certain activity deemed therapeutic wasn’t helpful for me, I was told to keep trying, that I wasn’t doing something right, or that I wasn’t “ready”.
It’s okay if the common or trendy thing doesn’t work for you, there’s nothing wrong with you.
It’s not a reason to be discouraged, it’s actually a beautiful opportunity to explore, to embrace how perfectly different you are.
“You don’t have to adopt something just because it’s common. You can make it your own, or accept that it’s not for you.”
For example, Meditation was never helpful for me until I found a way to make it my own.
It used to bring on terrible anxiety, it would make my thoughts spiral, it NEVER made me feel good. I envied those who seemed renewed by it, what was wrong with me??
I took some space away from it then invited it back in & found a way to meditate with intention, by partnering it with prayer & guidance, it began to serve as a helpful activity.
Another example is Journaling, like meditation I would be sent into a negative spiral, it was not a good practice for me until I made it my own.
Journaling without structure made me look in the rearview mirror too much, speculate, spiral… I would end up worse off then when I began & I would feel this heaviness that took time to shake.
After letting it go for a period of time, then attempting to pick it back up again I realized that specific prompts gave me focus with journaling.
I found Gratitude Journaling very helpful, because it was specific, there was a set intention, I could stay on track.
Someone may argue well, if this negativity is “in there” & you can conjure it, you need to get it out, but… wouldn’t any provoked being react in most cases if something was actively harming it?
“If it’s harmful to you, it’s not helpful, even it appears to be the norm or common or the trendy go-to thing.”
Therapeutic outlets are a gift when they honor our experience. It will be the thing that helps you through tough events, offers fulfillment, gives solace.
Find what works for you, in a way that works for you, make it your own.
Do you have a go to therapeutic outlet?
Have you tried the common things but they don’t feel right for you?
I encourage you to try everything till you find something that feels good to you, it doesn’t even matter if you are good at it, if you love it & it creates a sense of wholeness, fulfillment & most importantly is therapeutic for YOU that is what matters.
At times we need a little push, a little direction, accountability or gentle suggestions, a space to share what has worked & what doesn’t.
This is an area I’m honored to guide people through when we work together, because overall health isn’t just about food it has many facets & requires a gradual process to find what serves us on an individual level.
If this is something that you want to uncover, along with learning how to best support your body & overall health, please reach out to me, I would love to see if I can help.
Wishing you ongoing wellbeing & managed health,