Youth Work is Care

 The article and video on the ideas of care as well as pain and healing were helpful.  One of the biggest concepts to pull from them is the theme of vulnerability and identifying pain, and in order to connect with people especially young people we have to be vulnerable with them first. I think in order to be vulnerable with others you have to first be vulnerable with yourself, which brings us to the pain and healing aspect of it all. As someone who has routinely suppressed pain it can be quite difficult to look back and find the source of pain. I find posing the question "why" is a good start. If we are feeling a certain way ask yourself "why?" The first step in my opinion is acknowledging our feelings, like I said if you are not feeling okay, acknowledge that you are not okay, then ask "why" am I feeling this way.  You might not be able to answer the "why" question right away but keep asking it, you'll get there eventually. Next we don't jump right into fixing or healing, we want to first stop and process the answer(s); feel it all, maybe cry.  We each process differently, then we accept things for what they are,  some sources of our pain come directly from the past, from our lived experiences. This pain is from a place of history, we cannot change the event(s) that have occurred but we can change the way we think about them. Leave the past in the past and take solace in knowing that you are a different person in this moment. I believe that we are ever changing products of our lived experiences, meaning that everything we have encountered in our lives has shaped us into the people we are today and if you ask me there is so much beauty there, there can also be a lot of pain, but there is beauty in how we become the people we are. Changing how we think is a good start to our healing process and maybe we can do this on an individual level but maybe utilizing the resources around us is a good method as well, identifying a support system is important. Healing starts after we acknowledge our pain, and after we accept our experience(s). For every painful experience/memory counter it with a peaceful/good memory as it is easy for the painful memories to take control, do not lose sight of the good. The video spoke about healing being a continuing process of our well being, we don't just heal from something and then its gone forever, its more like in order to heal from something you have to accept the pain and realize what that event means, where does it belong in the journey of you and how has it shaped you?  Healing does not mean letting go, or forgetting, or fully moving on, it means carrying your processed pain in a healthier way, it means knowing that it is okay to not be okay and that it is also okay to reach out for help. The texts and the video expanded my insight on care in this way, they have helped me identify significant areas of pain for myself, I initially thought of four instances, but keep asking yourself "why" and if you are like me you'll identify things you never ever thought twice of. The idea of care, pain, and healing is very much a rich experience, and if you are grappling with your own journeys and experiences remember to take good care of yourself and understand that is is okay to not be okay!