One who falls down to the ground does their absolute best to get back on their feet. Why should stumbling due to a mental-health condition be any different? Tomorrow, wake up and start anew.
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Wake Up and Start Anew. – updated Aug 8, 2022
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As I rose this morning, I thought to myself “Man, I get the opportunity to have another day!” It’s not the first time I’ve thought that. But after the events that have taken place since the beginning of January and of early last fall, it really feels good to wake up and start anew. What I focus on the most? Family, for every day with them is a blessing.
Without going into a whole lot of detail, my family has had some pretty significant close calls in the last seven months. All of which have, thankfully, turned out okay. This has of course, only enhanced my gratitude for life. However, on an individual level, I feel like mental illness is winning the day.
While I still enjoy some pretty great moments, they are but calms before the storms. Interestingly, despite pulling out all the stops to minimize my pain, lots of therapy, exercise etc., these moments are much more intense in recent months Maybe it’s COVID fatigue? Perhaps it’s the frequency to which my life has been turned upside down in the last year? Maybe it’s both?
Need help? Check out our MENTAL HEALTH RESOURCES PAGE
Whatever, the source, it has accelerated the darkness monster that is PTSD. With so much traumatic potential going on in the world today, I’m not surprised. It’s never ending.
This is not to say that my coping strategies like diet, exercise and mindfulness are useless; rather, I hesitate to think where it would be if I didn’t have those tools in place. My advice? Never assume that any treatment you are taking part in is not working, with the exception of medication; this needs to be evaluated by you, a GP or a mental-health professional.
For example, if you’ve got yourself on a great exercise routine, science says it’s best to keep on moving. Even 30 minutes a day, three days a week, with a great walking routine can do wonders.
Exercise and mental health
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From my own experience, when mental illness speaks, I have been discouraged from working out. However, upon turning inward and sort of surrendering to its negative script, I have felt ten times worse. Upon realizing this, I re-initiated my gym time, and let me tell ya, the contrast between no exercise and regular sessions of exercise, is like night and day.
“Working out is like mother nature’s medication.”
Jonathan Arenburg – The Road To Mental Wellness
What are the things that hold you back?
Well first off, mental illness itself. I am a firm believer in the idea that the people with mental illness are those who especially need coaching. Why? Because mental illness can be so overwhelming that it can make the simplest of tasks seem like you’re climbing Mount Everest. While many may believe this to be mythical, I can assure you it is not. Therefore, we need someone there in our corner to help us understand that some of the decisions we are making are made by our mental-health conditions. Another reason for our lack of initiative, sometimes, is the feeling of defeat.
Perhaps, for example, you have tried to exercise for example, and have been overwhelmed by the noise of the gym, by the commotion of the street traffic and now, you feel defeated. The beautiful thing about this seemingly overpowering feeling of defeat, is that if you reapply yourself as many times as it takes, you will come out the victor. Keep in mind that there is a sort of Ebb and Flow to mental health. You will have good and bad days.
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“To give up on help, no matter how remote, for however long it takes to get it, is to give up on ourselves.”
Jonathan Arenburg
I know in my heart of hearts that if you keep trying you can do this! Because the very act of trying, is you doing it: you are working your way down the road to mental wellness with every action you take. The battle must continue, therefore, when you wake up and start anew.
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Message from Jonathan.
As the Founder and Chief content creator for http://theroadtomentalwellness.com, I would like to thank you all for stopping by. We work hard on our content with the reader in mind. Our purpose, to help others by telling our stories. We hope that we are delivering on our mission. Please, let us know if you have found it helpful in the comments sections or follow us on social media and let us know there. Remember, you are not alone, we are all in this together. Please, like and share our content. Especially if you feel like others can benefit from our own experiences. We all thank you for taking the time to read and share our content. Please comeback and keep up to date.
Finally, take care of yourself and if you need help, go to our Mental Health Resources Page.
