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Floral Sunflower Shadows Outdoor Reflective Plants High Res Version
Melody Ozdyck / Her Campus
Wellness > Mental Health

Chakras and Shadow Work: The Other Side of Healing

This article is written by a student writer from the Her Campus at Savannah chapter.

The path to healing is never smooth and will cause you to have mini meltdowns in your shower. The new wave of ‘spiritual healers’ on Tiktok and mainstream ‘healing tools and spells’ by Urban Outfitters may present healing as something you participate in once and never do again or that it’s glamourous; the truth is that the path to healing is far from glamourous and is something you commit to doing daily. The daily commitment to being a better person will lead to happiness, inner peace, and solid boundaries. If you are thinking about traveling the path of healing, keep these 5 things in mind: 

1. The path to healing will get lonely

The dark side of becoming a whole, healthy, and happy person is that the road will get lonely. The process of examining the habits you have created and how you respond to situation will lead you to learn more about you, which will lead you away from your comfort-zone.

2. You will lose ‘friends’ on your way to healing

The one thing that I can guarantee on this road to healing is that you will lose friends and family,  mainly the ones that don’t understand why you want to heal. The friends that you will lose on your journey may be ones that did toxic things with or thrived on negative energy, they will  say you have changed or that you act ‘stuck up’-but know that is a sign of growth.

3. The Shadow work you must do on this journey will be painful and beneficial

The process of facing your toxic traits and ‘inner demons’ is considered doing shadow work, it’s the parts that only you can see and may hide from others. The work towards understanding your faults and fears can be done through going to therapy or using journal prompts to uncover the source of certain habit, thoughts, and responses.

4. You will be tested on the lesson you were supposed to learn

Just like in your favorite video games, you will have to face the ‘Big Boss’ at the end of a certain level to ascend to the next level.

5. You may become the ‘black sheep’ in your family

The path to healing may lead you to be the black sheep of your family, there is no way around that fact. The good news is that in the process of healing and being a better person, you may find people that will be more loving and accepting of the healed you. The journey of your healing may help you understand why that one family member that was labeled ‘crazy’ or the ‘black sheep’ stayed away from your family or only showed up for funerals.

Storyteller, innovative thinker, and aspiring women's and family health advocate; Whitney Keitt is pursuing her passion of being an activist for change in her commuity. She graduated from Savannah State University with a Masters of Business Administration in December 2019. Whitney is pursuing her Master's of Public Administration and will graduate in December 2021. Growing up in Savannah, Whitney learned leadership skills and innovative thinking as a Girl Scout. She recognized her love of storytelling and creativity through her exposure to museums and theaters. Whitney's leadership skills, innovative thinking, and creative passion manifested into innovative professional positions. She has held positions as a senior tour guide at a historical site, social media strategist for her local farmers market, and project coordinator for an educational teaching program funded through the National Science Foundation.