It is often those who have been the most depressed or unhappy who understand just how great happiness can be. That sounds a little odd but it’s true. To put this in other terms, you’ll never quite appreciate the value of wealth if you haven’t been destitute at least once in your life. The deeper the roots go, the stronger the branches can extend. This means that those who have managed to go through depressive episodes, or other mental health issues and have successfully crawled out of that cave through determination, self-care, therapy, medication or whatever worked for them will often feel obliged to share their story and help others. These people are also the ones who are the most unlikely to take their mental health for granted. They know that it must be protected, and any issue must never be hidden.
It’s a real achievement to get past your mental health struggles. If you wish to transmute your journey into positives for others, you might consider the following:
Start a Blog
It can be effective to share your progress through the form of a blog or social media feed. Of course, you needn’t give away your name or personal details if you wish to keep things private. Or you might simply keep this ‘blog-like’ expression within a journal. But sharing this publicly can potentially connect you to others who might be struggling, and thus lend some of your insight and tips for success that helped you get over those issues. A blog can also help you learn more about your past, and try to put your thoughts in place. It’s quite amazing to see the impact this can have on your general levels of positivity, and of course, connecting with others who feel the same is always going to feel rewarding.
Study
It might be that your experience has tempered you to a degree where you wish to start effecting true, healthy change, and potentially help people overcome the difficulties they have been facing. This can be a hard ask, but it is entirely possible to take care of if you know the direction in which you hope to study. For example, an online masters in mental health counselling could potentially help you grow, to learn, and to become qualified for a career in which you could effect some real change. You might be surprised as to the results.
A Warning
Sometimes, it might be that warning against a progression that led you to your previous downward spiral can help plenty of people. It might simply be that someone in your family is drinking as frequently as you had, or perhaps is headed on a slippery social slope. A few words of caution or care can often help someone think differently from their current route.
