I recently had a sore heel. It lasted for several months. It prevented me from hiking this summer! It got in the way of my massage work; I couldn’t do as many Ashiatsu barefoot massages. I slowly rehabbed it using rest, stretching, Epsom salt baths and essential oils, exercise. Slowly, so slowly, it got better. As soon as it started feeling better, I would use it more. Walk more, do more ashiatsu. Overuse. More rehab. Slooooooow healing.
Then I had 2 high speed runs through the Denver airport, and a few days of sightseeing where I was on my feet a lot, and BAM! sore heel again.
Frustration. Why, oh, why, heel, are you so weak?! You are interfering with my job, with my fun, with my dogwalks! You are taking too long to heal! I was so impatient with this part of my body.
Then one night I decided to try something different. Instead of trying to “fix” my heel, I decided to love it. I imagined a warm glowing ball of love surrounding it. I loved it at the place it was right now, not how I wanted it to be. I accepted it. I accepted the pain it was feeling. I said it was okay, I would create space for it to heal, instead of feeling impatient and frustrated with it. I wouldn’t try to use it as soon as it started feeling the smallest bit better. I would wait. I would love.
And you know what? It started healing a lot faster. I took a walk the other day and realized that I hadn’t even considered it for a few days. I’m still careful to not overdo it, to love my heel enough to allow it to complete its healing.
This is a story about self-love. Try loving all the parts of yourself. Especially the parts you are mad at, frustrated with. The parts that aren’t functioning the way they should.
We’re too hard on ourselves and on our bodies. It can actually create an atmosphere that inhibits healing with our emotions. Instead let’s create an atmosphere of healing.
Don’t try “sending it love” in order to make it behave! Send it love because it is part of you. Because it is your body.
And if it works on our bodies, who knows what else it will work on? Try and see.