Healing From Mental Illness: What You Can't See, You Can't See
Years ago, in the middle of my agoraphobic, social phobic, depressed state, you could’ve never convinced me that healing from mental illness was possible, probable even. Like a tornado crushes a trailer park, mental illness ravaged my entire life. And I couldn’t see beyond the swirling debris the tornado of mental illness was tossing all around me.
At that time, if I could even breathe for a minute without having panic attacks and take a look at my surroundings, all I saw was the debris of loneliness, confusion, isolation swooping past me, all sharp and jagged. And, forget relationships, they too were hit and knocked down by all the flying debris of mental anguish. It’s no wonder I couldn’t keep relationships. I mean who wants to be hit by a 2x4 of isolation; a panel of hopelessness; a shingle of self-pity?
It’s hard to see any good coming from a mental illness when all you can see is the layers of debris in plain sight. However, as I hope you do, I’ve learned that this doesn’t in any way dictate what’s on the other side of that debris. If I could set that poor, lonely, depressed 20 something version of myself in front of me now, I’d look him square in the eyes and say “hang in there little fella, what you can’t see, you can’t see…but hold on…because the sun’s still shining somewhere and you’ll find it soon.”
To recap:
The problem: It’s difficult, if not impossible to see past our current circumstances (mental illness in this case).
The fix: develop new insight into circumstances (mental illness) through:
Therapy (this one’s huge…I mean you can’t correct your own golf swing, catch all your typos or understand why all those women left you on your own can you? Takes an outside perspective).
Self-Education - read, read and read some more on what you’re going through. Someone’s been through what you're going through. Learn from them.
And, let’s face it, sometimes you just have to batten down the hatches and ride the storm out before the sun peeks back into your world.
If your struggling, hang in there and take it from somebody who understands: the sun’s still alive, it didn’t burn out, or crash land onto Jupiter. It’s alive and strong, and at the right time, it will make it’s way back into your life, one way or another.
Hope this helps…
Jeff