What if part of healing is becoming curious about what we believe is possible?

I recently revisited some of the ideas explored in the documentary HEAL.

In particular the relationship between our thoughts, beliefs, emotions, stress, nervous system and physical wellbeing.

And there’s something here I think is worth exploring.

Not because illness is “all in your head.”

Not because positive thinking cures disease.

And certainly not because being unwell means you haven’t thought positively enough, healed enough, manifested correctly or tried hard enough.

But because when we’ve lived with pain, illness, trauma, exhaustion or symptoms for a long time, it makes sense that our internal world can begin to organise around it.

My body isn’t safe.

Something is always going to go wrong.

My body keeps letting me down.

This is never going to change.

I’ll start living properly when I feel better.

Sometimes these aren't even conscious thoughts anymore.

They become expectations.

And I’ve been wondering, what happens when we gently begin questioning them?

Not replacing them with affirmations we don't believe.

Not standing in front of the mirror declaring “I am completely healed!” while another part of us is screaming bullshit.

But creating a little more space around what we think we know.

Instead of:

“My body will always be like this.”

Perhaps:

“I don't actually know what my body will be capable of in the future.”

Instead of:

“My body is failing me.”

Perhaps:

“My body has been working incredibly hard to adapt to what it has experienced.”

Instead of:

“I can't live until I'm better.”

Perhaps:

“What parts of my life can I begin living now?”

And alongside attending to what hurts, what if we deliberately started noticing what is also here?

Pleasure.

Connection.

Beauty.

A moment of ease.

A belly laugh.

Sunlight through the trees.

Something our body managed today.

Something that feels a tiny bit different than it did six months ago.

Something we're looking forward to.

Not as a way of bypassing what is difficult.

But as a way of reminding ourselves that difficulty is not the entirety of our experience.

Maybe healing isn't always about convincing ourselves that everything will be okay.

Maybe sometimes it's about becoming a little less certain that it won't be.

So here's something to sit with today:

What belief about your body, yourself or your capacity to heal might you be ready

to become a little less certain about?

You don't have to replace it yet.

Just make some room for another possibility.