It was not so long ago my mind was a great chaos. I was worried about almost everything, rushing all day long. Then I met psychology one day and recognized how practicing it daily changed my mind and my life forever. Through theoretical knowledge and life experience, my knowledge accumulated over time.
I have been through a mental health journey from chaos to peace. However, this journey was so full of challenge that it required hours of reading, meditation, self-reflection, and trial and error. Every effort was worth it because it made my mind positive, moments mentally present and fulfilled.
Based on my experience and knowledge, a description came out about my understanding of how I perceive a mental health journey. From this perspective, there is a path from agitation to peace. The more peaceful there is, the more positive mental health.
The name On The Journey comes from this mental health journey that is described above. I perceive it as the journey from Agitation to Peace. An agitated mindset is full of chaos, in a constant rush, having demanding expectations and bitter inner critics. There is a negative filter inside the brain, and it is common that the perceived content is a huge threat and is reacted to in an offensive manner. Bitter feelings like guilt and shame are often accompanied by an agitated mindset as a side effect of a bitter inner critic and demanding expectations. This not only impacts decision-making, like spending or consuming behavior, but also social relationships.
How we treat other people and being able to correspond to their needs without consuming ourselves has a great link with the quality of our mindset. The agitated mindset is very egocentric; getting out of the self could be a great challenge. There could be a tendency to get irritated easily, particularly when the other person tries to set boundaries. Self-regulation would be low, which opens a great door to outbursts of anger.
From my perspective, peace is the other side of the mental health continuum, and I describe this mindset as being fulfilled independent of external happenings. A person is content with possessions or achievements and in balance with their limits. They have a well-developed notion of “good enough” and when to know to stop. When they reach this mindset, a person is very good at recognizing and regulating their emotions. This reduces the chance of getting in conflict with other people.
Knowing yourself is the core of mental health!
None of us are born with an instruction manual, and it should be the core occupation of anyone who wants to live an authentic life with great fulfillment. To reach this first, you need to do your homework. Knowing yourself on this level requires a lot of trial and error. You need to make the habit of getting out of your comfort zone.
In this article, a set of strategies are described to know yourself. They basically are journaling, asking reflective questions of yourself, meditating, and understanding your traits. All these strategies would help you to identify your values. Click below to read more about this article.
Reaching to a fulfilled self
As you approach a peaceful mindset, great satisfaction comes because of successful relationship management, firm character, and well-managed emotions. As your character becomes more settled, your goals and future plans will also get sharper, and you will have more outcomes. The end result is a happy and balanced life as a result of positive mental health.
Holistic consultation towards positive mental health
In order to reach a happy and fulfilled self, a combination of behavioral methods from different disciplines is needed. Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) would be particularly effective to help people become aware of their dysfunctional and undesirable thinking patterns and work towards a healthier and more realistic mindset.
Positive psychology is one of the recent approaches in psychology for a mindset that focuses on enhancement of core competencies rather than focusing on negativity. Interventions from positive psychology are also essential to discover your core values and to reach a fulfilled self.
Personal one-to-one sessions are needed to gain insight from an objective point of view. By asking the right questions, a person can understand the self to a deeper extent, recognize their own triggers, and be better able to define their emotions. All this leads to a positive mental health.
The role of Journalling
Writing down thoughts is a very effective therapeutic tool that helps with thoughts, feelings, and experiences and enhances reflection skills. Journaling also strengthens emotional regulation and helps with memory. There could be multiple types of journaling listed as reflective, creative, goal-oriented and expressive.
Gratitude journaling is an effective way to reinforce positive thoughts and make the habit of blessing in your life.
The Support of Self-Help Books
Self-help books are good aids to educate and inform readers, particularly when they cannot. Additionally, books provide information about others situations, which provides a sort of community support. Here are some of the books that I personally found informative.
Breaking Negative Thinking Patterns
Louise Hay – You Can Heal Your Life
David D. Burns – Feeling good, the new good mood therapy
Starting your inner journey
The first step is the awareness that you perceive a set of behaviors influencing your life in a very negative way or making you feel that you are pushing your boundaries too much; then this means that something is not right within your life. Have an inspection of your perception and reactions.
Here are a set of indications for someone that needs to go to therapy.
- Feeling overwhelmed by stress
- Feelings of worthlessness, guilt, or shame
- Having constant negative self-talk
- Loss of purpose in life
- Extreme issues with saying no
- Feeling irritable
- Excessive addictive behaviors like drinking, smoking, shopping, or social media
Disclaimer: The information provided about mental health is based on personal experiences and perspectives of the author, and may not fully reflect clinical or scientific research on the subject. For accurate guidance and tailored support, please consult qualified mental health professionals.
