SFH #52: Learning How to Apply Bandaids
A perspective on the healing process 🩹
Learning How to Apply Bandaids
When I was about four (4) years old, I was riding my sweet Huffy supersport bike all around my neighborhood. I'd fly up and down the sidewalks and alleyways of our suburban Dallas neighborhood popping sweet wheelies off sloping corner curbs and kicking up gravel dust with sliding stops on my coaster brakes. I loved being on wheels. My mom tells a harrowing story of me riding my big wheels down a flight of stairs at the precious age of 3. 😳
One day, I headed back home from my neighborhood ride when I had an unfortunate accident of crossing a cul-de-sac at the precise time a car was pulling through to turn around. The crash details were hazy, but I flew over my handlebars and into the street, landing on the pavement in full Superman mode. My chin was a busted mess. I can't remember how I made it back home. I remember lying on my parent's bed while my mom was pretty upset at what she saw. I eventually got stitches in my chin to secure the bulk of the damage. I had chalked up the 3rd of what would finally be eight (8) different times I would receive stitches as an active young boy.
That lifestyle never really changed. I just built better hand-eye coordination and learned to calculate risks at a slightly better rate. 😂
So let's get the discussion on bandaids. My boys, Henry and Hawk, love bandaids. They cover their booboos, and they give them comfort. They represent an idea of healing. I believe that we are using them to heal our emotional wounds just as much as our physical wounds. There is no doubt that we need to stop the blood flow with an acute injury and protect our injuries. I've done it many times. And there comes a time to allow our wounds to breathe and heal naturally.1
Whether it's a small cut or a deep emotional wound, exposure and nourishment facilitate our healing process.2
The Different Roles of Band-’aids’
Some aids protect us from an environment that can harm us, such as seat belts, vaccines, and clothing. Yet, other aids hinder our healing process.
Shoes that support our feet so well that we turn off the natural support in our arches. 👟
TV, so we can escape the discomfort of boredom and responsibility we might be avoiding. 📺
Alcohol helps us numb the physical, mental, and emotional wounds we aren't ready to face (consciously and unconsciously).🍷
I aim to discern whether my aids are protective or limiting. The questions I ask myself:
How am I using this particular aid?
Is it protecting me from acute injury and harm?
Is the protection physical or emotional?
Am I hindering the healing (regenerative process)?
Which aids are helpful at this particular stage of my healing process? Which are harmful?
There's no perfect formula for figuring out how to protect and heal ourselves at any given time. COVID has put that on full display. I believe the best I can do is assess my health and prioritize my needs, which will inform my process, whether it's when to remove the bandage or to partake in a beverage. 🥂
https://www.health.harvard.edu/newsletter_article/In_brief_Take_off_that_Band-Aid
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2903966/