UNTOLD STORIES
When you see someone smiling, do you assume they are happy? Most people would. As a therapist, I try to look past that smile. I need to hear the words a person is speaking to make sure it matches up with the smile. Many people who are in pain will cover that pain with a smile. I call it their “mask”. And how many times has someone asked how you are and you respond “great” but inside you are struggling? Those words and masks can cover up the stories of unresolved issues, pain, struggles, challenges that a person carries within.
Often people don’t tell the “stories” because they are painful. We don’t want people to know we are struggling. We don’t want people to think less of us. So we cover up the issues that plague us and we show the world a person who is happy or at least content. The pain we hide away from others though must be dealt with. If we don’t acknowledge it and work through it, it will simmer, grow and reveal itself in non-constructive ways.
I see so many clients who have struggled for years with some unresolved pain. It gets triggered through life experiences and brings them right back to the original source of pain. This pattern will continue until it is identified, acknowledged and processed. While it may seem that it is easier to ignore our problems, they are likely to continue to surface if they are not addressed. Some of these painful experiences may lead you to seek professional counseling, while others might just need to you share your struggle with another person who can help you put things in perspective. Bottom line is that it is not healthy to hide behind a mask and keep your stories stored up when you are in pain. They need to be told. You do not have to struggle alone.
May you share your stories, of joy and of pain, as you journey along your path of life.