“Accept what is, let go of what was, and have faith in what will be.” – Sonia Ricotti
Mental Health America reports that 1 in 5 adult Americans currently has a mental health condition. That is equal to over 40 million Americans, which is more than the populations of both Florida and New York combined!
Whether you are currently battling depression, fighting anxiety or learning to manage and overcome any other condition – the experiences that you are facing can play games with your mind. Often, we find ourselves overcome by our own negative thinking. The thoughts that occupy our minds can leave us feeling lost, overwhelmed and alone.
If you are currently battling with thoughts of feeling lost and alone, remember these 11 things:
- You are Not Alone!
While you may feel like no one understands what you are currently experiencing, re-read the statistics above! There is a VAST community of people with mental health conditions, and we are all in it together! There may even be someone in your life experiencing similar feelings right now and you aren’t aware of it, after all not everyone who is struggling shows that they are publicly!
- Embrace the Chance to Heal
If you find that a specific emotion or memory continues to return time and time again, this may be the sign that it is something that you genuinely need to deal with in order to allow yourself to heal and grow. The feelings associated with these painful memories help to direct us to the areas of our life that still require our attention, like neon signs pointing at the broken parts of our past.
- Growth is Messy
When we are faced with times of growth and change in our life, they rarely come packed up in nice, neat little bundles. Sometimes in life, everything has to feel as though it has fallen apart in order for us to have the opportunity to pick up the pieces and begin to put them back together properly. Be patient with yourself, and remember that if you are going through a challenging period, this may very well be the start of something great.
- There is Nothing ‘Wrong’ With You
Life is challenging and difficult sometimes, dealing us cards that push us to our limits and challenge our ability to cope. If you are currently dealing with one of those times, this isn’t a reflection of there being anything wrong with you individually, this is simply part of the human condition. Try not to feel as though it is a direct reflection on you personally.
- People Share their Highlight Reel
When you are looking at the social media accounts of others, try not to compare yourself. It is easy to feel like you are ‘not good enough’ or ‘not successful enough’ when you are only presented with their highlight reel! People don’t share the struggles and the bad times on their social media, they create a positive image of themselves sharing their accomplishments and adventures. Don’t allow yourself to fall into the trap of believing that what you see is the full story.
- Tomorrow is a New Day
Sure, you’ve heard it a thousand times, but it’s true! Today may be difficult, but when you wake up tomorrow morning it will be the start of a new day. You are experiencing a bad day, not a bad life, so things will look up again! This may be hard to see right now, but if you trust yourself enough to accept it as a fact you will be surprised how much that can help you.
- Endings Bring New Beginnings
You may be struggling right now with a challenging ending in your life. You may have just graduated, leaving school behind you, or are currently going through a difficult breakup. While endings are often times of sadness and struggle, try to look past the current difficulties that you are facing at where this is going to take you in life. Don’t focus on the ending you are currently experiencing, but rather embrace the new chapter this is leading you into.
- You are Ultimately in Control
While you may not have control of the situation as a whole, you do have control over the most important aspect – how you are going to react to it. Reminding yourself of this fact will help you to avoid falling into the victim mentality. Whenever life throws you a curve ball remember that you are the only person with control over your attitude in dealing with it.
- Let Yourself Feel the Sadness
There are times in life that we need to just allow ourselves to rest in the negative for a moment, feeling and working through these emotions rather than forcing ourselves to immediately move out of them. Repressed feelings will continue to keep creeping up, however, if you allow yourself to work through them they will slowly fade away for good.
- Sometimes the Best Thing You Can Do is Just ‘Be’
We often create high expectations for ourselves, believing that we should be continually moving upwards and onwards, accomplishing more and making progress in our lives. Instead of setting yourself up for failure, understand that you are going to experience highs and lows in life, and that is OK! Even if the only thing you could bring yourself to do today was to breathe and get through the day, that can be in and of itself an accomplishment.
- Take Some Alone Time
Some people may believe that the best approach to negative feelings involves forcing ourselves to go out and be with others, distracting us from everything that we are currently facing. While there are times that this approach is great, at other times in our life it can be beneficial to allow ourselves to take some ‘me’ time to work through our emotions.