I hope you know by now that you aren’t alone, and that we all struggle. There are so many things that happen to all of us when we are trying to make our way in life.
We can end up in a dark place and it can be hard for us to visualize our way out. The path to feeling better may seem cloudy or unattainable. Our overwhelming feelings, our faulty thinking patterns, the brain’s inability to problem solve, and our feelings of shame for struggling can be obstacles in our way–leaving us feeling trapped.
Please hear me: There IS a path to feeling better – through self-compassion and human connection.
We are making progress in battling the external stigma around mental health, but we have a long way to go. But where you can make headway is the internal stigma about struggling with your mental health. You can control how you take in the negative attitudes and beliefs about your mental health issues and how you view yourself.
I know I have given many tips and suggestions for how to help yourself (coping skills).
If you only remember a few things from this series, remember:
- Please be kind to yourself. It’s number one when it comes to good mental health.
- Practice things that bring you comfort, calm, and joy.
- Reach out: human connection can be healing and bring you relief when you are struggling.
Connection is the color in our lives and connectedness is suicide prevention.
Even small moments of joy throughout your day can make a big difference. Just like anything we are trying to get better at: patience, practice, and self-compassion are important when it comes to managing your mental health.
I wish we could be done with surface level conversations. I wish we could share how we are truly feeling in our difficult moments. I love the word transparent. It feels empowering. When we can be transparent with someone we can communicate our thoughts, feelings, fears, and needs. We don’t have to put up our guard or create walls between us; our imperfections are allowed and embraced. Transparency helps us change our action tendency from isolating to reaching out during times of struggle.
CHALLENGE: BE TRANSPARENT ABOUT YOUR FEELINGS
Challenge yourself to be transparent about how you are really doing and challenge your family and friends to be transparent with you.
Caring about YOU and your mental health,
Susan
P.S. If you want to hear about a specific topic or have a question, email The Liv Project at: hello@thelivproject.org. I am so happy to connect with you!
– Written by Susan Caso, MA/LPC and Mental Health Director for the LIV Project
