Remember, getting cuts or scrapes as a kid and picking the scabs? I used to be one. I mean, who didn’t love to pick a scab when they were younger? I loved the feeling of picking a scab in secret when my parents told me not to.
Eventually, I learned not to pick my scabs as I got older. I learned that picking a scab increases the healing time of the wound. I also learned that wounds have a higher risk of getting infected if they are exposed. I learned that scabs are my friends.
But, I never learned to avoid picking a scab when I get those emotional wounds. You know, those wounds you get when you receive a rejection letter. Or when you go through a bad breakup. Or when a new venture that you’ve launched, fails to even get off the ground.
Those wounds cut deep. They leave a mark on us that can affect our psyche. But thankfully, they heal. We are remarkably resilient to emotional wounds. There is even a “scabbing” process that happens, which is very similar to a psychical wound.
The challenge for us as adults, is to stop picking the scab. We must avoid the friends or family members who aren’t 100% supportive of us at this time. We avoid the negative self-talk that comes when we fail.
Instead, we need to do activities that encourage the healing process. For example, we can spend time in nature, or watch a great movie. Or we can call our most supportive friend. Or when it gets too hard, we can just sleep. Sleep cures all.
The same logic that we learned about scabs as kids, applies now. Only we need to be more conscious if we want to be emotionally healthy adults.
We need to just let the scab heal.
A New Source Code 