I’ve been reading a lot about the “pandemic wall” lately, and it makes sense that we’re all hitting it now. We’ve been in this for nearly a year. During that time, we’ve collected stress that hasn’t been released. We’ve held in emotions that couldn’t be expressed in small spaces. We’ve dealt with waves of grief over continual loss. We’re all in the middle of a collective trauma, and we haven’t had the space to deal with it yet.

We’re still in it, but the end is in sight. So I thought it would be worthwhile today to explore how we’re going to heal when this painful period is finally over. How will we release the stress that’s built up in our bodies? How will we express our pent-up emotions? How will we deal with our grief?

I have some thoughts. I’d love to hear your thoughts as well. It’s a rare moment that we collectively experience; it’s going to take all our minds and efforts to heal in its aftermath.

Rest

I don’t just mean sleep. I don’t mean meditation. I don’t mean hobbies. I mean the state of complete, blissful relaxation. What does that mean to you? Can you go to that place, physically or emotionally? How do you get there? For me, real rest is when I’m on vacation. I need to completely cut the ties to my normal life in order to fully relax. Once I’ve had a taste of that true rest, I trust that the healing process will move forward.

Express Yourself

Our feelings have run the gamut this year from despair to fear to sadness to rage, cycled on repeat. Where has that emotion gone? Some people are naturally more self-expressive than others. If you’re more emotionally reserved (like me), use a therapist, a trusted friend, or a guided journal to release feelings through words.

But it’s also helpful to remember that true self-expression often goes beyond the scope of words. Talking and writing is a good starting point, but sometimes we need to express the unexplainable. How will you let that yowl of rage out? How will you get the tears flowing? Can you go into the woods and scream? Can you put on boxing gloves and take it all out on the punching bag? Can you play a beautiful piece of music or watch a melodrama and let the tears roll down your cheeks? Make room to feel it all. It has to go somewhere; better to let it out than hold it in.

Create

Once you’ve begun to process and express those emotions, mold them into something concrete. It doesn’t matter what it is: art, writing, music, culinary arts, decor, kitting. You can name your creation after the feeling you’re trying to express (“Rage” “Fear” “Exhaustion”) or the feeling you’re trying to nurture instead (“Hope” “Optimism” “Gratitude”). Art helps us process our feelings and move forward. Share the art, or don’t share it, whatever feels most natural to you.

Collaborate

Open yourself up by sharing an experience with others. Healing goes further with a friend, or even in a group (as I wrote about in “The Band Room.”) The exchange of words, music, paint, baked goods, drum circle rhythms, hiking views, or book club discussions can provide openings for healing.

Give

Once you feel more stable, use your resources to give to others who still need healing. Thank an essential worker. Join in a Black Lives Matter protest. Send supplies to a group suffering under an environmental impact. As you give, don’t forget to take a moment to breathe in the goodness of giving. Let it fill you up. We are built to share, to work together, to need each other. Actively participating in building those bridges is healing.

These are my thoughts on healing; I’d love to hear yours. Please add to the conversation by commenting below or on social media. Use the hashtags #healingart or #thejoyfulcreative.