Over time and experience that I had garnered through my struggles with mental illness I presumed I knew how to face all kinds of adversities and get through whatever kind of pain life throws at me. But every once in a while, I’m faced with some news, or an incident of some kind that absolutely throws me off my ideal path of recovery and I quite frankly am left feeling helpless just like I did at the beginning of my journey. It took me a while to learn something pivotal about this relapse of sorts - it’s completely okay. Here are some things I find myself reminding myself when I’m in a bad place: 1. Don’t ‘be happy’ if you don’t want to. Feel whatever comes to you naturally to whatever strength and intensity you want feel it. Suppression is never the right way to go about negative emotions. 2. Acknowledge what you’re feeling. Are you feeling angry? Sad? Guilty? Stressed? Label it - write it down, say it out loud, tell someone you trust or whatever makes sense to you at that moment. Clarity of what you’re feeling often helps bring objectivity to the situation making it easier to deal with. 3. Breathe. Our breathing patterns and body activities often change when we’re mentally burdened, notice these changes and correct them by breathing deep and slowing your heart rate down. 4. Deal with the problem in whichever way brings most comfort to you and within a time frame in which you do not feel rushed. 5. And most importantly, stick in there and stay patient. Give it time. Time brings solutions as well as acceptance.
We’re going to figure it out. Like we always have.
-Vani Malhotra
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