Identifying the source of your mental health crisis

Stepping our way through anything is a wise way of handling any challenge in life.  And it’s no different with a mental health crisis — whether it’s suddenly descended on us or has loomed large for a while.

I can think of two sample sources of mental health crises that serve as examples.  The first is relationship stress or breakdown.  The second is an identity crisis or a crisis of purpose.  It is helpful to at least recognise the component parts of causation to the crisis.

I find personally that I can deal with very large amounts of workload stress, but as soon as a key relationship is fractured or under strain, my resources of resilience are chewed up doubly quick.

Depending on our personality, too, we might find that crises of purpose and meaning can arise when suddenly we’re not needed.  Of course, it is actually a gift when we’re not ‘needed’ but if we derive our sense of value from being needed, we can quickly descend into despair because we may feel unworthy or surplus to requirements.  But time is a gift if only we can re-purpose the time and develop some structure of things that WE want to accomplish.

When relationships are strained or broken it can leave us overwhelmed with what to do, how to do it, how to respond, and it’s even worse when we don’t have any agency of control.  

Even knowing we don’t have control over certain situations helps somewhat, just in the identification of the fact.  It may seem forlorn to face the fact that we have no control, but then we can choose to let it go as there is no decision or action required of us, except to let go of what we cannot change.

It’s similar for those times or seasons where we’re devoid of purpose or meaning.  It feels horrible, of course.  But if we re-arrange our thinking to imagine that we have space to create or explore new initiatives, we feel empowered.  

If it means we simply need to look for work, we can resolve to courageously be open as we explore the possibilities with an open heart.

Knowing the source of our crisis is one step of awareness closer to action.

Often times we need the help of professionals, mentors, family, or good friends to identify the steps of recovery.  Navigating our way to recovery is a step by step process augmented by hope that we will arrive.

We can and do make it to our cherished destinations of peace, and the reclamation and the personification of joy, if we don’t give up.  

Identifying the source of our struggle is the important first step.