Healing through Learning
Here is the scoop: there is research that shows that any learning a person does changes the brain and increases your health. That is right there is connection between learning new skills and healing. This was fascinating, but also one of the most helpful research results I have come across. I decided that this was important to share because it is so hard to heal pain and so hard to self-care in a fast paced environment. However to learn a new skill is do-able. There is so much to learn and with platforms like Skill Share, you can learn anything you are interested in learning. YouTube is probably the best free resource to start learning any skill. It has exponentially exploded with tutorials and “how to…” videos. I would never have imagined the power of learning for healing before I learned this fact and tested it.
I always wanted to learn a few skills that I did not get an opportunity. Now there was an added incentive. While I consider myself a lifelong learner, I was more motivated to learn the skills I had shelved for so many years. My journey of healing had began anew. The twofold benefits of learning a new skill I have always wanted to learn anyway and healing at the same time seemed too simple and incredible to work. So I put them this research to the test… (Yes, I recognize I am a sample size of 1, but if it can work for me, it can work for others as our brains are created with the same capabilities and materials. The vast differences of the contents of brains is only relevant here to what you choose to learn, how you choose to learn it, what type of learning you choose to utilize ect.).
Guitar, the Final Frontier!
This story has a bit of a background that is necessary for the scene to be set. My birthday was coming up. I was turning 10 years old. The question of a birthday present lay in front of me. What was I going to answer my loving parents’ question, “what would like for a birthday present this year”? So far, I had nothing. It was such a big decision because the stakes were high: we did not have a lot of money and birthdays were the 1 time we could ask for something really big. With that said, there was a limit to how much my parents could afford. I tried to save all my small gifts to get 1 big gift instead. That way I could get something really worthwhile. Then it hit me, I want a guitar. My Mother’s smile was welcoming, but her message was hard to take. “Sorry, we just cannot afford that. What else would you like”? There was simply nothing else I wanted. Eventually, after a few days, my Mother returned to me and informed me that I could have my guitar after all. However there was a condition, I had to learn to play it. She explained the catch: I could not go for lessons because she could not afford them, but she would buy me a book and I would have to learn from there and practice every week. I readily agreed and kept up the deal diligently. After about 4 years, the guitar was sold and I was left without lessons and without my beloved guitar.
Fast forward many years. My brother bought himself a guitar. I noticed he was playing it and mentioned that playing guitar was something I always wanted to do, but never had the opportunity to fully exploit. Then something amazing happened, my brother bought me a guitar as a present. When I came upon this research that learning a new skill helps a person heal, I decided that learning to play this wonderful guitar was the perfect target for testing this hypothesis. I had already learned the basics from YouTube, but now I was determined to up my game…and up my game I did. Initially I was skeptical that I could even learn the basics and even more skeptical that I would ever get anywhere with learning the guitar. Not being musically talented and still not having money for lessons, I gave myself an optimistic, maybe this could work…. However the point was not could I learn guitar anymore, which helped to motivate me further, it was could I learn guitar and would this help me heal?!
My new passion was also a target for testing this hypothesis. All things graphic design related now went into learning for healing. Pursuing a career in graphic design was a dream of mine. Beginning the journey to learning graphic design was an unconventional one. I set a new bar for this pursuit in order to heal through learning. Again I poured more time and energy into growing and developing as a graphic designer.
Facing my fear and discovering the artist in me. An obvious place to start healing through learning perhaps, but by far the most powerful one, which is why this is the final part of this article. For the longest time I have desired to draw, paint, and create, as well as craft, masterpieces worthy of the label professional. With very tenuous steps I started on this journey with a set of drawing magazines my Mother bought me. I progressed fast and was surprised that this step-by-step teaching guide helped me. However I could not learn art from a static medium. Enter artist friends. Along my journey to becoming an artist, I have recruited a few selected artist friends who have been willing to teach me some basics of art. Still lacking in art skills, I turned to YouTube. Timing was significant. Again I decided to put the hypothesis to the test: improving my artistic skills and reaching a professional level was now a goal that could heal as well as satisfy my need for learning and growing as a person.
Conclusion
This simple, yet powerful hypothesis has proven to be 100% effective. As the last line of my previous paragraph states, the learning of all these skills has proved not only to satisfy my need for learning and growing as a person, but helped me heal what I thought could not be healed through such a great and fun tool: learning!
