Many people have mental health challenges in their lives. Whether you’ve lived through a traumatic experience or you have a mental health condition, you’ve experienced some challenge or another. Some people go through one depressive episode, and others have repeated instances of mania and depression. Some people suffer from panic attacks. When you’re in the midst of these issues, it could be difficult to see outside of them. But you can learn from your mental health challenges. Here’s how:
Keep a journal
When you’re going through challenging times, it can feel like it’s never going to end. One way to handle these difficult periods is by keeping a journal. It’s a safe place where you can record your thoughts and feelings. For example, if you’re going through a depressive episode, you can let out everything you’re thinking and feeling into this book. There’s nobody there to judge you, and you may feel a sense of catharsis or release. After you work through your depression, you can look back on the journal and see how far you’ve come. When you read the pages, you can learn what your triggers are and how you can understand them better by working with a therapist or talking to close friends or family. A journal can be an excellent place to participate in self-reflection.
Open discussions on mental health
You are not the only one who has mental health concerns. What can help is talking with others about their issues. For example, if you live with bipolar disorder, you can discuss what it’s like to have manic episodes. Perhaps your friend lives with an anxiety disorder, and they can talk about living with panic attacks. You can learn from one another. They might be able to provide you with a perspective about mania and depression that you hadn’t thought of before. Another place you can talk about mental health issues is with a therapist. Mental health professionals can help you come to realizations about your problems and help you learn from them.
Work through regrets
It’s natural to have regrets in life. We all make mistakes, but what doesn’t help is ruminating on the past and worrying that you could have changed it. What’s done is one, but there is something you can do after the fact. One way that you can handle regretting things is to learn from the experiences. We all make mistakes. If you had done some things when you were mentally unwell, it’s okay to feel remorseful. If you didn’t regret anything, that wouldn’t be natural. If it’s possible, you can try to make amends for the people that you’ve hurt. But also remember to forgive yourself. The best thing you can do is learn from the situation. Ask yourself what you can do next time if you’re in a similar circumstance. You can help to journal about the events or talk about them with your therapist. You can also try to learn from the experience by discussing it with the person or people involved. Sometimes when you have a conflict with someone, they are willing to sort out what happened. The best-case scenario is you can sit down and talk with the person you have had a conflict with and understand what happened. It’s not just about your mental health issues, but sometimes your experiences can impact others. So it’s important to have these candid conversations to see how you can modify or change your behavior in the future.
Therapy can help
Therapy is an excellent place to talk about your mental health issues and gain some guidance from a professional. You can also do introspective work during your sessions. It’s an excellent place to gain more emotional insight into yourself. You can talk with an online therapist or meet with someone in person. They’re also online resources where you can learn about mental health issues. Check out the BetterHelp platform. Discussing mental health issues can help you understand and learn from them.
Author’s bio
Marie Miguel has been a writing and research expert for nearly a decade, covering a variety of health- related topics. Currently, she is contributing to the expansion and growth of a free online mental health resource with BetterHelp.com. With an interest and dedication to addressing stigmas associated with mental health, she continues to specifically target subjects related to anxiety and depression.
