Embrace Your Wounds: A Path to Resilience

You might have read the title of this article and thought, "Embrace my wounds? No way! Not going to happen!”

 And I get it. The idea of acknowledging our inner pain can be daunting, especially when we've spent so much time avoiding it. But here’s the truth: ignoring your wounds—whether from childhood, past relationships, or life challenges—might work temporarily, but eventually, they’ll need to be faced.

 At some point, your wounds will need to be acknowledged, felt and accepted, otherwise they will unconsciously rule your life. Not only will they begin to influence your decisions, choices, and behaviors, often without you even realising it, but they will also negatively impact your mental, emotional and physical well-being.

 Hey, I know that no-one would willingly choose to do this as it’s hard work, but the benefits are enormous. So, if you are ready to take the plunge, the first step is simply to acknowledge that you’re hurting.

 You might fear that embracing your wounds will make you seem weak, less than, unworthy, not good enough or that others will judge you and think less of you, or that if you allow yourself to feel, the dam will break and you won’t have the strength to keep things together. I get it - I’ve been there.

But let me tell you something important: those who judge, often struggle to accept their own vulnerabilities and human weaknesses.

As humans, we hurt, we break, we fall down, we make mistakes - there is absolutely nothing wrong with any of this. What is important though, is what we do after this.

Instead of seeing our wounds as something negative that define us, can we switch to seeing them as source of strength and wisdom, something we can share with others, once we've done the hard work to process them?

Does processing your wounds mean you’ll never feel pain again and you’ll automatically develop a ‘Buddha-like’ approach to all of life’s happenings?

Oh, I wish! No, you’ll still have moments of fear, grief, and frustration etc. But what changes is that you’ll have developed awareness, self-compassion, and a sense of self-respect—even in those tough moments.

Unfortunately, life doesn’t promise us a smooth ride. Sometimes, we get handed lemons instead of roses. So, if you've been given lemons, rather than fighting against what is, make the best darn lemonade that you can, and be proud of it.

According to the Buddhist belief, suffering is caused by us wanting reality to be different to what it actually is. This is a difficult concept to accept - it certainly was for me for many years as I fought against my life experiences. It was only when I could surrender into acceptance of what was wrong in my life and the pain I was feeling, that I could actually begin the healing work. Definitely easier said than done though!

In my blogs I share my life experiences and what I’ve learnt in my journey of healing from trauma, but I certainly don’t claim to have all the answers, nor am I an expert in living life - I'm human, I'm fallible, but I always aim to do the best I can in whatever situation I find myself in. That’s all I can ask of myself – anything more is an unrealistic expectation and burden that certainly won’t support me.

When I stumble or get things wrong, it’s my self-care, which includes patience, compassion etc., that helps me through. None of us are perfect. But at the end of the day, all we have is ourself as everything else can disappear in a heartbeat.

 We can be so hard on ourself, thinking we need to have it ‘all together’ before we venture out into the world and allow ourself to be truly seen by others. I know- as it took me years to find the courage to launch my own business, always wondering what others would think of me when they learned my story. I finally realised that it doesn’t matter what others think. What matters most is how I view myself.

 Our wounds may differ, but if you’ve experienced pain, darkness, or struggle, know this: ‘the cracks are where the light shines through’. This idea, shared by both Leonard Cohen and Rumi, reminds us that our greatest gifts often come from the very things that once hurt us.

It's our wounds - our pains, that offer us the opportunity to reassess our life, our priorities and chose to do things differently. By differently, I mean, live in a way that honors who we are, what we believe in, what brings us peace.

We need to remember that we are all capable of both fragility and strength - sometimes we may be an emotional mess on the floor, and other times we rise up as powerful forces. And that’s okay, as it's our complexity that makes us human, and it’s our ability to embrace both our wounds and our strengths that allows us to shine.

 So, what about you - what are your wounds, and what gift can you share with the world through them?

 When you learn to accept yourself and honor your journey, no matter how painful it may have been, or still is, you develop an incredible inner strength that you can tap into. Life may, and most likely will, throw more challenges your way, but you’ll know that you’ve ‘got this’, as you have already proven to yourself that you can face life’s storms head-on.

 So perhaps now, embracing your wounds doesn’t seem so scary as the payoff is definitely worth it. By doing so, you allow your pain to become your strength - your wisdom - and your light, as the world definitely needs this right now.

Rosanna Commisso - Founder, StressCare Solutions

Championing Workplace Wellbeing | Mental Health & Trauma Advocate

As the Founder of StressCare Solutions, my passion for helping organisations navigate the growing challenge of stress and trauma in the workplace, is personal.

With over 30-years’ experience spanning health, training and community services, and my own lived experience with mental health, burnout and trauma—I bring both professional insight and ‘lived experience’ understanding to my work.

My mission is simple: to empower organisations, and their staff, with the tools they need to recognise, manage, and reduce stress before it leads to burnout, and to implement trauma-informed practices to support their staff.

Through engaging, evidence-based workshops, impactful speaking engagements, and trauma-informed workplace support, I help teams build resilience, improve wellbeing, and thrive.

Let’s build healthier workplaces—together.

📩 rosanna@stresscare.com.au | 🌐 www.stresscare.com.au