Whether you have just failed your exams, had a really bad break up or life in general is just so shit, remember that there is a way out, a light at the end of the tunnel, and time heals everything… okay I’ll stop being cheesy now. But on a serious note, mental health is no joke. I’m no expert but from one sufferer to another, I can try give you a few pointers in the right direction to recovery.
“Character cannot be developed in ease and quiet. Only through experience of trial and suffering can the soul be strengthened, ambition inspired, and success achieved.” — Helen Keller
Everyone will tell you that the first step in recovery is admitting you have a problem, and they’re not wrong. So focusing on yourself before anything else is the most important part of recovering from a bad mental state.
Take time out for yourself – We usually go about our lives stressed about everything, so much so that we forget that we need to take a break. So before you even think about doing something else, take some time out for yourself, take a power nap or a warm bath, try not to think about the stressful situation which has forced you into a bad mental state.
Do what you love – Life is short, so don’t waste time stressing, do the things you love most. Read a book, draw something, play a sport, just do whatever it is that makes you happy. By doing something that makes you happy you will immediately start to relax and enjoy life a lot more.
“Sometimes your joy is the source of your smile, but sometimes your smile can be the source of your joy.” — Thich Nhat Hanh
The next step in recovering from a bad mental state is thinking about the world and other people, by doing this you’ll be seeing the bigger picture, expanding your thoughts from just you’re little bubble.
There is more to life than you think – There is a whole world out there full of opportunities and excitement that you haven’t even considered, a whole ray of things that could happen if you just thought about what the world can do for you. Instead of thinking about all the bad things that are so close to you, think bout all the good that is just in your reach. You could move to France and be a painter, you could travel Asia or live in London and own a whole skyscraper. The world is full of opportunities so don’t ever limit yourself.
Do something for someone else – The world is full of different people, some worse off than others, by doing something to help someone else you will feel so much better about yourself. Now I’m not telling you to donate a kidney, but even the smallest things like holding a door open for someone, buying a homeless person food or donating old clothes to charity will make you feel so much better about yourself and you’ll be doing something so great.
“The greatest degree of inner tranquility comes from the development of love and compassion. The more we care for the happiness of others, the greater is our own sense of well-being.” — Tenzin Gyatso
The future is a tricky thing because it is so hard to forget about it, everything we are doing right now is to have a better future. I’m not going to tell you to completely forget the future even exists, actually I’m going to do the opposite.
Think about where you want to be in 10 years – This is something I have been doing for a while now and it is the best tool when you’re trying to recover from a bad mental state. Close your eyes and think about where you want to be right now at this exact time and day 10 years from now. Maybe it’s in a busy office trying to do whatever it is people do in busy offices, maybe it’s sitting in a cafe in the heart of Milan drinking a cappuccino or sleeping soundly in a comfy bed with the love of your life next to you. Whatever it is, make that your goal and do everything in your power to get there, if something won’t get you there then is there any point in it?
“There are far, far better things ahead than anything we leave behind.” — C. S. Lewis
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