Transforming Struggles Through Faith: How Spiritual Relaxation Heals Past Pain and Prepares for Future Challenges

There are periods in life when a person needs reinforcement in relaxing the soul, as they may be going through unique challenges beyond the usual difficulties life regularly presents. During such times, one may feel a sense of disconnection or contradiction between the calming effect of the morning relaxation routine, and the hardships encountered throughout the day.

The Mistake of Suppressing Challenges During Relaxation

People tend to approach relaxation in a general way, trying to suppress or avoid thoughts about the difficulties that may arise later that day, in an attempt to maintain perfect calm during the process.

However, this approach is fundamentally flawed. The true purpose of relaxation is not to create escapism, but to clear the mind of falsehood and worldly confusion, and to bring the light of faith deeply into the soul, so that divine truth becomes fully integrated.

The goal of relaxation is to instill within the heart a sense of connection to G-d’s absolute goodness, which exists in all times and situations. This applies equally to moments where His goodness appears obvious and to moments when, from the limited and narrow perspective of the human mind, His goodness is hard to grasp.

In the Shelter of the Shechinah

True spiritual relaxation involves bringing calm and clarity to each part of the day, by imbuing it with unshakable faith in G-d’s love and goodness toward His creations.

When a person knows that wherever they are- even if they find themselves in a place of chaos or confusion- they are in fact being cradled beneath the wings of the Divine Presence (the Shechinah), they realize they have no reason to lose their calm, joy, or peace, for even a moment.

It is specifically during the quiet moments of morning reflection- when there are no distractions or stressors- that a person can fully focus on G-d’s infinite love for them as a cherished, only child. G-d yearns for every word the person utters in prayer, embracing them with a love beyond imagination. That is the time to bring the difficult moments into that space, allowing faith to refresh even the hardest parts of the day.

Chassidic teachings refer to this process as “the greater illuminate the lesser”- meaning, we bring light from the emotionally elevated times into the “smaller,” more contracted moments, guiding them with that same faith and clarity.

Healing Through Faith-Based Reflection

This approach is a deeply therapeutic tool for healing emotional wounds from past events where one failed to apply faith in the moment. Chassidic wisdom teaches that reviewing painful experiences through the lens of faith can repair the spiritual harm done and even release the trauma from the soul.

The method is to recall those challenging situations during spiritually strong times, and to consciously reinsert the awareness that G-d was present and supportive even then. This “re-shining” of Divine light into those dark moments restores the lost connection and heals the spiritual damage.

Understanding G-d’s Ways

The Chatam Sofer explains the verse, “You will see My back, but My face shall not be seen” (Exodus 33:23), to mean that during hardship, we cannot understand G-d’s plan. Later, when looking back, we may see how those challenges led to personal and spiritual growth.

Sometimes, with hindsight, a person can even feel genuine gratitude for those struggles, by recognizing how they brought them to greater heights in faith, character, or success.

Reframing Past Sin Through Divine Presence

Chassidic teachings apply this same idea to the concept of repentance. When one sins, they act as if G-d is not watching or present. After regret and teshuvah, the person is encouraged to revisit that moment, but this time with awareness of G-d’s presence. This mental return restores the Shechinah to that time and place and repairs the spiritual damage caused by the sin.

Our soul contains many layers, each shaped by the events of our lives. The emotional imprint left by each day is recorded in the soul. To uproot negative impressions, we must mentally return to those moments and re-illuminate them with the truth of faith.

An even higher level is to anticipate challenges before they arise and prepare for them spiritually in advance.

When one is calm, grounded, and filled with Divine awareness, they can draw from their soul’s infinite reservoir of faith and inner strength- equipping themselves to face what’s ahead with confidence, peace, and spiritual readiness.

Rabbi Yehuda Wingerden is the Chairman of the Foundation of Chassidus Institute and the "Education Foundation" organization.