I feel that mental health is not something that is truly addressed in most situations as it should be, and I am not willing to live a life being aware of this and not do something to change it.
I have spent a majority of my adult life in struggle. The short synopsis is I had some stuff from my childhood that was difficult for me to process, I pursued relationships instead of finding emotional peace so sex was usually the band-aid for every heart ache. When the people I loved didn't care to give me band-aids for my wounds, it felt like being forsaken, so it was no trouble to go ask for a band-aid from someone else as I felt I was certainly worth having my wounds attended to. It was not for many, many years I learned that some injuries, that a band-aid isn't the right fix. In fact, if you have a headache for example, a bandage doesn't do a damn thing. But to a child... a band-aid is magic and can be applied to any wound and provide relief. That is what I was, I was a child emotionally and trying to fix anything that hurt with the same 'solution' .
Along the way, if I would have regularly attended therapy I would have been able to observe these patterns sooner and develop the language and understanding I needed to articulate and express my emotional experience. It is strange indeed for me to imagine the idea that it could have been so different if I had pursued therapy in my twenties...but it wasn't until the age of 32 that I started to grasp mental health as a thing thar I could not deny the importance of. It is not something that can be simply disregarded. Wounds untended can fester into an infection, and in the same way our minds left to simmer in emotional pain and distress can start to faulter like a limb succumbing to gangrene.
Sadly this is how it goes for most people. They continue life using ineffective coping mechanisms that are not serving their desires, only to be in misery. They go through days, months even years of lying to themselves about the true nature of their pain and they hide it away from the world. Like I discussed in my last entry, the severity of the lie may differ, but often it is usually not accepting or being okay with the reality we are in that leads to so much mental distress. Unnecessary suffering and inner turmoil.
This has brought me to my current state. I intended to ascertain my ikigai. I titled a post this a few days ago. The so called, intersection of what you love, what you are good at, what you can be paid for, and what the world needs. I have grown exceptionally invested in the power of gaining a hand over one's own mental health. it is a very important chapter I think in every person's journey no matter their intentions for their lives, their mind is going to be with them and need to be in proper order with balanced perspectives and stable emotions in order to feel at all at peace. What if we were to humor the idea for a moment, that this world could change...wholly and completely from a radical shift in perspective on the value of caring for your mind and we removed the shame from seeking that help? What world might we live in then? How truly amazing would it be if...in the end of it all that so much of what we experience is psychosomatic? That is to say our body reacts because of our minds. How life changing would that be to imagine diseases and illnesses to decline in great degrees from teaching a person to be more complete and accepting of their experience in this life and others? Therapy can equip you with the tools to manage difficult emotions, develop healthy coping mechanisms, and improve your overall well-being. I used to struggle with anxiety that manifested in physical symptoms like stomachaches and headaches. These symptoms would often flare up before important meetings or social gatherings, making me feel incredibly on edge and isolated. Once I addressed my emotional well-being through therapy, I learned coping mechanisms to manage my anxiety. I also discovered that a lot of my anxiety stemmed from negative self-talk and unrealistic expectations. Through therapy, I was able to challenge these patterns and develop a more compassionate inner voice. As a result, I noticed a significant decrease in both the frequency and intensity of my physical symptoms.
I am good at emotional support for other people and offering a compassionate and sympathetic nonjudgmental ear. This is something I can be paid for, the world clearly needs it...and I truly love it. with all of my being. I understand that mental health may not be your ikigai. So perhaps I go on about it much more than what you are used to discussing. But that's part of the point here, isn't it? That it's a little off from the amount of focus it truly deserves. So perhaps today, dear reader, you can consider taking care of your mental health a little better, until one day my clinic offers services to change this world and spread love across the globe. Maybe you spend a few minutes sharing space with your friend and their emotional experience and they mirror this....maybe you show patience to the traffic on the way home and offer grace to the student driver... Maybe you calm your frustrations at your car not starting and see that it is a beautiful day and appreciate the walk... maybe you tell a stranger your appreciate them and tell them they have a beautiful smile...
We change this world by being the change we want to see. I aim to embody health for people's mind in my actions and desires of this world. Perhaps you could consider the benefits of therapy, cost doesn't have to be a barrier. I do not care where you are in this world. We all face challenges on our mental health journey. You are not alone. Thank you so much for listening to my dreams!
Breathe deeply, sleep sweetly, and dream big with me!
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