The Unseen Wounds of Poverty

You can be financially poor – lack of money.

You can be emotionally poor – lack of love, lack of emotional support, lack of emotional safety.

You can be physically poor – lack of quality nutrition, lack of physical support, lack of physical safety.

When you witness someone experiencing financial poverty, it is likely that they are experiencing emotional and physical poverty as well.

Having a sense of scarcity in any one of these areas can make a person vulnerable to experiences of physical and or emotional pain.

You can think of a painful experience in this case, like getting a scrape on your knee. It needs to be treated and cared for, in order to get better.

But what happens if you fall and scrape your knee again in the same place? Ouch.

What if you continuously scrape your knee over and over again without letting it heal?

These pains of poverty cannot usually be seen from the outside.

They are scrapes on our hearts and minds.

The unseen wounds from growing up poor, may have or continue to cause feelings shame, embarrassment, guilt, regret, resentment, hatred, anger, loss, separation, worthlessness, and fear.

Some wounds may go unnoticed for a long time.

Others, so raw, toxic, and excruciating, that they were all we think about.

These unseen wounds may be carried throughout your life, from moments of physical and emotional vulnerability as a child to financial vulnerability as an adult.

The unseen wounds that are ignored or are left untreated, may continue to cause us more pain and suffering as they affect how we view ourselves, and how we treat others.

Many of my unseen wounds have since scabbed over and healed.

Each one needing its own unique treatment of self-love, nurturing, and forgiveness.

Others are still hurting.

I’m beginning to realize, that it’s OKAY to be hurting.

It’s OKAY to acknowledge that you are experiencing some kind of pain.

Because acknowledging the pain is the first step to recovery.