Mental Wellness and Recovery – Finding the “Good Side”

Mental health hurdles can be overwhelming!

How can we find the “good side” in everyday recovery?

The problem with mental health – in general – is people don’t tend to see the “good side” of mental wellness. There’s a lot of talk about the suffering, the inconvenience, and the somberness that plagues the days of steady, stable recovery. (At least, for those of us living with conditions where depression plays a leading or supporting role.) Personally, I find the somber, low hum of being not-quite-content more manageable than being on the brink of mania, or approaching the arena of psychosis. When I’m in the somber space, I try to be grateful. At least I’m not winding up for another installment of “Am I the second coming of Jesus Christ?” What a taxing disaster that’s always ended up being.

And for the record, I am not the second coming, I’m just Jake Wade. Can you imagine the responsibility of a figure like ole’ J.C.? Aren’t you grateful we don’t have a mission like that of a Great Saint or Avatar?

“Change The Way You Look At Things And The Things You Look At Change.”

This is my point: there are always (at least) two ways to look at your present state. Your present state is also the only state you have any control over. I urge you to find the good side of where you are right now, your mental wellness depends on it. If you’re feeling depressed, take it as a reminder that maybe you need to focus on self care for a while. When’s the last time you took a long, hot bath or shower? Have you had a warm, nutritious meal lately? Are you keeping up with your hygiene? Don’t bother running yourself through the gauntlet of whatever dark thoughts and feelings the depression wants.

Remember, you are in charge here. One little step at a time. If all you do today is brush your teeth – that’s a win. You will rise again and conquer the day with more gusto, it’s OKAY that day wasn’t today. In the meantime, be present in letting yourself relax; feel the comfort of your pillows and blankets. Wear your softest clothing and take a nap with no alarm. 

Are you feeling anxious?

Take that energy to the gym, or for a long walk with your dog. Don’t have a dog? Perhaps you could benefit from a service animal. Can’t have pets where you live? Maybe you can take that anxious energy to a local pet shelter and volunteer some time to play with dogs there. You are not your anxiety. Turn it into a tool for the authentic you (you know, the one noticing that you’re experiencing anxiety), and remember a time when you didn’t have this kind of energy. Use it. It’s your tool. Own it. Clean the bathroom, do your laundry. When I’m in the thick of active anxiety, I find the most relief comes when I spend energy on activities, hobbies, and exercise. This enables you to reap the rewards of accomplishment while simultaneously managing your state. 

Choose your mental wellness, whatever that may look like today. Continuing to choose the brighter side of each day’s hurdles accumulate — your choices build momentum. 

The most exciting thing you can do – the one thing that really gets the blood pumping and serves perhaps your highest good – is to challenge yourself.

I get it, you probably don’t often feel like doing that. Challenges are inherently associated with difficulty, and who wants to invite difficulty in? 

“Life is hard enough as it is. Especially for ME!” I can almost hear you. 

But hear me out… There is immense freedom in doing the thing your mental illness, inner critic, or worried ego has deemed impossible. So, what is the thing that would light you up if you brought it to life? 

Use the power of creativity to improve your mental wellness

My favorite suggestion, if you’re still with me here, is to channel whatever you’re feeling into a creative outlet. You don’t have to be the next Picasso, Jimi Hendrix, or J.K. Rowling. Putting that kind of pressure on yourself would defeat the purpose of what I’m getting at entirely, anyway. What I am asking YOU to do, is simply pick a medium that you find interesting – what makes you a little bit excited? Or a lot excited? 

Can you write about what your depression feels like? Can you paint what your paranoia feels like? Are you willing to sing or wax poetic about the struggles of anxiety or what your OCD is wanting you to do? Would you be willing to push aside your judgments about your artistic ability and draw a depiction of what psychosis means for you? Giving yourself a creative outlet lets you shift the narrative from “Mental Illness” to Mental Wellness. How? Because everyone struggles with some form of mental health challenges, emotions, moods, etcetera. Give yourself the power of choice and use these feelings for creation. Turn them into logs that fuel the fire of expression and release. 

The key here, friend, is to NOT judge your creations. Just get that stuff out. I guarantee you this – there is freedom in expressing the thing that wants you to think it cannot be expressed. It can be, and I’d love to see it.