Reading makes me more “spiritually healthy”
I like getting absolutely wrecked by the books I read and the shows I watch and I think this makes me more "spiritually healthy".
Part of being "spiritually healthy" is the ability to process emotions from the body.
You are doing this all the time!
When you read a book, your brain and your body are sort of literally going through it and processing it. Every emotion that the author leads you through is getting moved through your brain and your body (nervous system) is processing it like it's happening in your reality.
Reading about heartbreak and loss? Your heart is feeling it all and reading these books might help you grieve.
Reading about suspense and mystery? Your body can jump into fight or flight but you are working on thought processing and puzzles! Strengthen your mind!
Reading about love and romance? Smut? Girl, no shame in your game;) Your heart is riding that roller coaster and your body is reacting as well. Reading about healthy relationships can help you heal your heart and reading something spicy can certainly help with your womb energy and sacral!
What you are reading has the capability to create big emotions and connections and this is why many readers mourn the last book in a series or grieve a book after it's finished.
It's normal to think about characters for days, weeks, or months after it's over. The author actually might love to hear that from you.
And I'm right there with you.
I giggle and kick my feet reading about cute actions, I cry and want to throw my book across the room when a character dies, and I definitely mourn and grieve the ending of a series when I spent hours with those books.
If you're curious, here are two semi-recent things that have wrecked me:
Throne of Glass series by Sarah J Maas - this bitch has my heart in a vice and I will forever scream, cry, and laugh about these books and it's been years since I've read them. I can never read them for the first time again and this alone makes me want to cry. This is the most superior series she has ever written and I will die on that hill.
Currently watching Arcane on Netflix and I am already having to grieve and scream and stare at the wall in shock and confusion. I both can't keep watching and need to. (don't spoil it for me or I will send wrath and an itch on your backside you can't reach, jk... kinda)
Why does this make me more "spiritually healthy"?
Because I get to build a habit of processing and riding out the emotions I feel when reading and this creates a strong habit of fully feeling my own emotions in daily life.
When we read books I think we are much softer on ourselves for feeling. Like, there may be some acceptance for us. "If this emotion is from reading it's ok to feel it." Maybe this is because it's all happening to characters in a book?
Well some people don't hold that kind of kindness to themselves when they are experiencing emotion in their real life. They don't allow themselves to spend time grieving or getting angry or soaking in joy.
Through books we get to practice the feeling. And we are able to FULLY feel it until we are through it.
That's what people are missing in their spiritual practice sometimes. Fully embodying their emotions until their body goes, "Ok, we can let go of that now."
I told a mentorship client the other day, "This is what I say to myself: You can get pissy, and sad, and upset about XYZ. You can. Go cry about it and let yourself think no one has it worse than me right now, omg poor me, this sucks, I am so sad/mad/pissed/etc. You can. Feel it all. But once you've let yourself do that, tell yourself to get the fuck up, move forward, and laugh a bit.”
I let myself be "selfish" (feeling your emotions isn’t selfish) and feel it all then I tell myself, "Ok Lex, you had your time to whine and moan, quit being a little bitch, shut the fuck up, and let's get going." I say this in a supportive and amped up way to myself. It oddly makes me feel better because I know another side of Lexie has come out and she has my back, is resilient, and get's shit done.
***I do not stop my emotions before I feel through them as fully as I can. I don't prevent myself from feeling things by stuffing them down or ignoring them. If I don’t have time to address the feeling asap I will plan to later.
This is my process.
I am a Gemini with heavy fire and air signs in my natal chart. I'm a fast moving 6/2 Mani-Gen so the duality of being hot and cold or kind then firm to myself works for me. I feel things passionately and in the extreme. I move quickly. My life path is also trial by fire and doing 7 years of growth in one year. This is a tiny tiny part of my process and it might not work for you.
More of my process includes deep healing ceremony and shamanic journeying to the root of the emotion, trigger, or trauma with the support of my spiritual team. I also will guide myself through death and rebirth processes, shedding of old layers, and time traveling to heal past versions of myself and alternate lifetimes.
Want to learn how to do that? Mentorship baby!
Whatever way you work through your emotions is, spend time finding it. Do you need to listen to sad music and wallow in your fee fees before you can move on? Do you need to talk to process (me) or get into your body with physical activities to process?
I found it helpful to look into my natal chart, my personality type, and my human design to see how I feel and react to things emotionally as well as how I best process things physically and mentally too.
Remember: Honor the timing of the emotions that come up. You can’t rush or skip the process. When you notice you are feeling something, note it, acknowledge it, be curious about it, and see what it wants to show you.
Don't think you have to learn your process asap. Sometimes it's not about searching for information, it's about observing yourself and noticing habits and patterns you already do. Observing yourself teaches you a lot.