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Mental Health, Simplified

We live in a world of constant stimulation and information on mental health. Sometimes we need to look at it simply, to find a simpler solution.

By Jessica MurrayPublished 6 years ago 5 min read
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We all have a mental health. It is the state in which our minds operate; we can be stable some days, unstable on others. Mental ILL health is determined by the way we deal with the pressures of every day life. But the fact is, some of us are wired differently. And for those that cannot understand this, I've used a few analogies with clients and others that I've found, have helped them understand it more.

Firstly, I like to imagine mental health as a person walking a dog. As psychologist Sigmund Freud stated, we are governed by three parts of the brain. One of those parts, is the rational compromise which wants the brain to be steady and stable. This is what I call the person. The rest of the mind is not ours to control, however, we can work with it. This is the dog.

You're walking down the path with your dog. He is completely calm, correctly at your side and does not cause any stress to you. This is what I describe as the "stable stage" of mental health. You know when you are just completely mellow, in the middle, just "fine"? Maybe even better, in a completely positive state of mind. Either way, the dog is predictable, safe and stabilized on the walk.

But suddenly, the dog spots a squirrel on the path. His ears perk up and he is ready to run at the squirrel. The dog begins to pull at the lead, making the situation unstable and unpredictable. But, he doesn't quite break free. You manage to keep a handle on the dog, while it tries to escape. This is what I call the "unstable" stage. That point where you can see things are changing, anxiety and depression kicks in but we still have things under control, barely. It is in this stage that we can take time out, self care and maybe seek help to keep the "dog on the lead".

And then, the dog breaks free. You cannot hold the lead anymore, your hands are sore and your arms are pushed to their muscular limits. Suddenly you find yourself chasing after the dog, as you have no idea what kind of carnage it can cause. In this moment, you have no control. The dog does. This stage, of course, is the breakdown phase. We lose control of our emotions, our mental stability and things seem to be way out of our capability to reach. We try desperately to catch it, or hope that the dog will respond to our calling and come back to us. Sometimes it's easier, other times we are going to need a few extra people at hand to catch the dog with us.

What's important in all of this is that we recognize what stages we are at. If we are aware that the dog is becoming too strong to hold onto, we should call for help. It's so difficult to admit that we cannot do things on our own at times, I know that better than anyone. And of course, in this society, there are often people who will laugh at you when the dog breaks free, stand around and do absolutely nothing to help you. Forget those people, I'm sure their own dogs have broken off of the lead plenty of times. Invest your trust into those that you know will run by your side, or grab the lead with you.

Mental health is not a consistent and stable thing, for most of us this is much more of a rollercoaster. Anyone that proclaims to be in the same state of mind for an entire month, or even a week, is lying. Recognize that your moods, thoughts and feelings change with the pressures of life, and that is completely normal.

One great thing I have practiced is a mental health calendar, which I use to mark my moods of the day throughout the month. Low and behold, after 3 months, I noticed a pattern. As a woman, PMS affects me greatly, and the entire week before a period is the worst time for my mental stability. I use coloured stickers for each day; Green for a good day, yellow for an average day and red for a bad day. This is something I will be using with my clients in the following year; knowing yourself will lead to your control over your mentality!

Do not repress. I repeat, DO NOT REPRESS.

Think of it this way, in a simpler term when it comes to repressing emotions. Imagine you have a garden that keeps growing constant weeds. No matter how many times you cut them, they grow back stronger. Eventually, you decide to put paving slabs over the weeds. This is what I refer to as repression, burying the problem without dealing with it. This may work for a while, but as time goes on, those weeds will begin to grow through the cracks and gaps of the paving slabs. It wouldn't matter how many slabs you put down, the weeds will find a way to grow towards the light.

The only way to get rid of the weeds is time, effort and uprooting them for the core. Getting rid of what causes the weeds to grow in the first place, will prevent them from coming back. It is a longer, harder, more painful way if dealing with things, but then it's dealt with. Instead of repressing our issues, we need to face them head on and cut off the supply. When mental illness becomes a minefield, try to simplify it and rationalize it, before attempting to work on it.

As always, love and support to the warriors battling mental illness.

Jess x

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