How Self Discovery Helps You Overcome Mental Health Issues

Mental Health Issues – Your Voice Matters

Mental health issues affect us all. Just like no human body is perfect, no human mind is perfect either. We’re all a little crazy. We all get depressed. Anxiety is real and destroying someone’s whole world right this second. Bipolar disorder is crippling and invigorating in nauseating, alternating waves. Schizophrenia turns your own mind against you. The list goes on…

So why, then, is mental health still a taboo issue? It’s not uncommon to see friends in the Twitter Writing Community getting blasted for talking about depression and anxiety. That is not OK. Admitting to the world that you have a mental illness is brave and honest. Those people would never do the same thing to someone with a physical disability. This is a problem.

We can change the way people think about mental health. But we need to speak up.

Mental health issues can be more debilitating than many physical ailments. Matters worsen when you’re told your problems are “just in your head.” “All you have to do is change your perspective.” “Just try to be happier.” “Don’t worry.” “Everything will be OK.”

Sound familiar? I’ve said many of those things myself. But in reality, that’s like telling someone who has cancer to “walk it off.” They can’t. Neither can someone with mental health issues or illnesses simply “get over it.”

There’s a vast spectrum of mental illnesses, with an even broader range of symptoms. Medications are difficult to balance correctly and often have terrible side effects. Many people never seek treatment because they fear the stigma of “having a mental illness.”. Many people who do seek treatment are not properly diagnosed.

I’m here to help eliminate the stigma of mental illness. I allude to mental illness in much of my writing on this website. I talk about it directly in some articles. But this post is for me and anyone else out there like me. This is my story. Read it and know you are not alone. Your suffering is real. Your pain is real. You matter and you deserve a solution. Your voice needs to be heard.

A History of Mental Health Issues

Mental illness runs deep in my family. Both of my parents have personality disorders. One of my brothers has spent the past four years in and out of mental institutions for severe depression with psychotic episodes. My youngest brother committed suicide at the age of sixteen. But we don’t talk about that.

I have suffered from depression and anxiety since I was a teenager. My family chalks it up to my being “weak” or “lazy.” My depression is literally crippling. There are days when I cannot get out of bed because I am simply that depressed. There are nights when I can’t sleep because anxiety is drilling through my brain.

I’ve tried medications on and off. But they never work. The side effects are too much for me anyway. I’ve tried therapy many times. Insight is great, but there’s only so much projection you can tolerate. There’s a lot about the human mind we don’t understand. My journey taught me to believe no one understood me. I was lost, alone, and suffering.

The system is broken. It failed me, it failed my brothers, and it failed my parents. I can’t really blame anyone for this.

It’s difficult to create a solution to a problem you don’t fully understand.

Eventually, enough was enough. I wanted to take control of my own life, of my own mind. So, I created my own solution. Like I do for all of my other problems, I turned to the written word. It began with The Secret. This book opened my eyes to the idea of positive thinking. While it has garnered some criticism since its release, I will always be eternally grateful for the book that taught me about gratitude and positivity.

From there, I started journaling and eventually moved on to writing short stories and novels. Writing became my medicine. I was inspired and happy for a while. But then, like it always does, the depression came back. Anxiety, the ever-faithful sidekick, came swooping back in too.

I remembered how much The Secret had helped me before, but didn’t want to read the same book again. So, I searched for others. I found one, and it added to what I had learned. It complemented and expanded on it. I felt like myself again. I understood the world again. Life was great. I even got back into writing.

Unfortunately, the cycle never really ends. You don’t get to jump off this rollercoaster. My solution was an arsenal of self-improvement books. Every time I’m feeling down, I find a new one to boost my spirits. There’s a bit more to my system which I explain below. However, the books are really what save me. The books are my meals. The other parts of my system are more like dietary supplements.

Self Help Books: My Mental Health Miracle System

While many of the self-improvement books I’ve read tend to have the same message, each one is told with a different voice. All of them are inspiring and motivating. With each new book, I discover a new part of myself. I uncover unexpected truths. They show me how to use the power of my mind instead of simply witnessing it. I learn how to understand my own thoughts, where they come from, and how they impact my reality.

Through years of research, practice, and patience, I have discovered how to manipulate my mind. I can finally control my thoughts, to a much larger degree. These books taught me how to talk myself down. It took a long time. There was a lot of trial and error. But I managed to create a solution for my mental health issues.

I still struggle. I still have bad days. But you know what? They’re few and far between. When I first began this journey, I was lucky to get a three-week break in the cycle. Now, I’m going six-eight months between lows. It’s not a perfect system, but it works a hell of a lot better than anything else I’ve tried.

Here’s my Mental Health Miracle System:

• Self-Improvement Books that Speak to My Soul (You’ll know one when you read one.)
• Regular Self-Care (Most days, some days I still can’t do it.)
• Meditation (Every day, at least once for a minimum of fifteen minutes)
• Moderate Exercise & a Healthy Diet (When I have the fortitude.)
• Daily Gratitude (Mostly daily, sometimes weekly.)
• Journaling about Everything (True.)
• Creative Writing (Often.)
• Having a Support System (Certain friends, specific family members, and a trusted medical professional.)

Important Note

This is a solution that worked for me. The InkWell Spills Collection of Self Discovery Books is available here. It contains a list of all the books that have given me insight and direction. Use them as you wish. But this may not be enough for you.

Always speak to your doctor or a medical professional about mental health issues and illnesses. They are serious and can lead to death. I see my doctor yearly and always update her on my mental health status. If she feels my coping mechanisms are not enough, she will intervene. So, you need someone like her watching your back too. If you are in crisis now, reach out:

• The National Suicide Prevention Hotline: 1 (800) 273-8255
• Lifeline | Suicide Prevention Lifeline
• Text HOME to 741741 to reach a Crisis Counselor | Crisis Text Line
• SAMHSA’s National Helpline – 1-800-662-HELP (4357) | Find Help Here

No matter where you are in your mental health journey, please know that you are not alone. Know that there’s someone out there who understands your pain, your fears, your struggles. Reach out when you need to. Find support. But most importantly, never, ever be silent. This problem doesn’t go away unless we do something about it. Let the world know your story. It needs to be told.