Daily in my practice, I see patients who present to me: “Is what I am experiencing normal?” or “How do I take care of my mental health so I won’t get swamped?” Both are valid and typically human questions.
As an inner health therapist, I would like to share some reminders with you that I share with clients—reminders that are realistic and compassionate.
Whatever your struggles, whether it’s working through anxiety, stress, or just needing a greater emotional balance, these reminders may be worth their weight in gold.
Mental illness is also often misinterpreted as merely the absence of illness or the condition of happiness. But it is so much: it is the manner in which we understand difficulties of life, navigate emotions, and nurture our relationship with another human being and ourselves.
This article takes into account basic principles, ranging from vindication and setting boundaries to the nuances of self-care and the realities of healing. These are drawn from decades of clinical practice and are meant to illuminate and reassure.
1. Your Feelings Are Valid—Even the Complicated Ones
One of the initial reminders I offer to clients regarding mental health is this: your feelings count. So many individuals minimize their feelings and assume that they don’t count or aren’t warranted because other individuals may be “worse off.” But feelings are strong indicators of what is happening on the inside and should be honored.
For instance, if you find yourself left drowning in sorrow following a bad day, labeling the feelings will assist you in healing. Being able to have this little internal dialogue with yourself, “I am feeling this and it’s alright,” will assist in creating greater emotional resiliency.
One of the things that I would recommend doing as an exercise is journaling to track your feelings and triggers. It does two things: it increases your self-awareness and it reminds you that whatever you’re going through is real and it needs to be addressed.
2. You Do Not Have to Know Everything
There is an enormous social pressure to “have it all together.” But one of the founding assumptions of therapy is that personal growth is not a straight line, and no one is ever supposed to know everything at every juncture.
More individuals get frustrated when they are “behind” another person. It should be realized that everyone has a unique path, with advancement being hindered by setbacks.
Learning to be comfortable with not knowing and allowing yourself to progress on your own timeline is critical to psychological health. Whenever that sense of feeling overwhelmed pops up, the mindset of, “It’s okay to not know everything at the moment,” can lower levels of stress and encourage self-kindness.
3. Rest Is a Part of Healing
Rest, in the modern era, can be devalued or equated as slothfulness. Yet rest is essential in recovery emotionally and physically.
Therapists are interested in proposing that rest needs to be defined as productive, rather than slothful. There is much scientific evidence to back up the fact that sleep and scheduled breaks improve intellectual capacity, emotional equilibrium, and general wellness.
Frequent short breaks during the day, good sleep, and obeying your body’s call are concrete ways of battling for your mental health. “No” to over expectations is not only acceptable but required.
4. Creating Boundaries Is Important to Preserve Your Well-being
Boundaries are so misconceived; they are not walls but shields that maintain your emotional integrity.
People-pleasing tendencies generally derail setting boundaries, and one might catch oneself tired or resentful. Learning to set boundaries in a direct and assertive manner is an extremely essential aspect of self-care.
Healthy boundaries look like giving no when necessary, keeping social media usage minimal so that levels of stress remain low, and creating work hours so that burnout is prevented.
Initially challenging, but ultimately leading to more energy, authenticity, and emotional balance, setting boundaries becomes a part of the healing process.
5. Healing Is a Nonlinear Process
The majority of people enter therapy expecting steady, uninterrupted progress. Actual healing is usually patchy, with periods of forward movement and others of backward, though.
Experiencing setbacks doesn’t imply that one has forgotten everything; it’s a part of the normal healing process.
Granting oneself permission to understand and embrace this reality—to view setbacks as brief ripples, not relapse—can dispel frustration and support persistence.
6. Your Thoughts Don’t Define You
Another of the main therapeutic understandings is that thoughts, particularly negative or intrusive ones, are not necessarily true or absolute.
Cognitive distortions such as catastrophizing or black-and-white thinking are common in mood and anxiety disorders. Therapy educates an individual on how to recognize and challenge such trends using cognitive restructuring.
A good example is: a thought of “I always fail” can be changed to “I have failed, but also succeeded; one failure does not define me.”
This distinction encourages emotional flexibility and kindness towards oneself.
7. Seeking Help Is an Act of Strength, Not Weakness
Stigma of mental illness always discourages individuals from seeking help. One of the most helpful reminders I give, however, is that seeking help is an act of courage and merit.
By practice of professional therapy, compassionate friends, or networks of caring peers, help is available and useful. Preventive access to mental health care can prevent crises and sustain long-term wellness.
8. Self-Care Is More Than Surface Comforts
Though bathing and candles are soothing, true self-care is more substantial practices that nourish your whole self.
Such as boundary-setting, wholesome nutrition and rest, engagement in healing processes, and time out for meaningful pastimes or meditation exercises.
Excellent self-care is a sustained commitment to honoring your emotional, physical, and mental requirements.
9. Your Birthright to Joy
Cultural stories like to portray joy as a reward after some period of tribulation. To assume so will unnecessarily extend or abbreviate times of joy.
Mental health guidance advises embracing joy as a natural part of repairing and existing.
Learning to enjoy, to connect with individuals, and to allow oneself to take pleasure in the finer aspects of existence are all vital to wholeness wellness.
10. Anxiety Tends to Distort Reality
Anxiety also makes a habit of blowing threats and imminent hazards that are not real out of proportion. Learning to distinguish between actual risk and fear based on anxiety is key.
Grounding skills, mindfulness, and controlled breathing facilitate this distinction and facilitate calm.
11. Savour Incremental Gains
Treatment work often builds on the success of tiny victories, like taking care of oneself, seeking help, or setting a boundary.
These achievements are step-one stepping stones to more resilience and self-worth.
12. Your Value Is Innate, Not Dependent on Success
In today’s culture of productivity, remember that your inherent value is not dependent upon success and other people’s opinions.
Emotional well-being is supported and stress eased by this reality.
13. It’s Alright to Grow Beyond People and Situations
Growing up can mean moving away from people or situations that are no longer healthy for your growth or self. It might be hard to do, but it’s usually necessary in order to be able to maintain good mental well-being.
14. Grieving Is a Process That Never Ends
Grieving, either due to loss, transition, or disappointment, has no timeline. It may return in some unforeseen form, and there needs to be space for these emotions.
Seeing hurts as a normal expression of love and attachment promotes healing and tolerance.
15. You Are Making Progress, Even When It Is Not Obvious
Most individuals are not being as nice to themselves as they need to be in order to see their progress, especially if healing is slow or has a spotty appearance.
Making it through the day and moving toward health is a tremendous accomplishment deserving of recognition.
More Therapist Insights and Practical Suggestions
a) Mindfulness and Present-Moment Awareness
Mindfulness exercises develop awareness of the current moment and decrease rumination and worry.
Brief techniques, such as breath focus or sensory observation, are useful strategies to use in everyday life.
b) Emotional Regulation Skills
Therapists teach skills to manage overwhelming emotions, including deep breathing, muscle relaxation, and grounding skills.
Learning them can enhance your capacity to handle stressors in a healthy way.
c) Practicing Self-Compassion
Treating yourself with kindness and compassion when struggling is the foundation for mental wellness.
Self-compassion involves changing self-critical frames of mind and recognizing your shared humanness.
d) Building and Maintaining a Support Network
Healthy social relationships are mental health resilience factors. Find and cultivate supportive and empathetic relationships.
Professional assistance is also important and must be an integral component of self-care.
Conclusion: Your Mental Health First Is Important
Mental health is part of overall health, and this needs to be given due consideration and thought.
The reminders here aren’t just offered as suggestions but more like beacons during the time of disorder. If you’re fighting, please, for the sake of everything, get professional help; therapy can transform you. Remember: you are not broken. You’re constantly altering and evolving.
Read About Affordable Health and Wellness Practices You Can Start Today
Checkout our Facebook Page
