Are you struggling with your mental health? Are you having problems with handling your thoughts and emotions? Do you feel trapped in a dark place and have no idea of how to break free?
Do past thoughts and actions keep coming back to haunt you? Do you feel like you’re not doing enough, no matter how hard you tried? If you feel like you can’t get everything under control, then this article is for you. I’ll give you a little story of myself; I hope it helps you realise that if I could survive this, you can too.
I was born in a family of five, and my addition made it six. My parents were middle-class citizens, but they still provided for us. By the time I got into primary school, things began to change drastically. I was always praised by teachers physically and on my report cards as an obedient and quiet child.
What nobody knew was that behind that quietness was a fear eating deep inside of me; I felt scared. I suffered anxiety. My parents were raised in very strict homes, so it was passed down to me and my siblings, especially me. I was forced to get good grades at school. Anything less than an A or B would result in automatic physical and verbal abuse.
I lived with cousins and relatives who took advantage of me and my parent’s negligence to hurt me in various ways kept haunting me for years. I had a different life in person, and inside my head, at a very young age, I had very bad thoughts that were mostly about self-harming and suicide. I had no one to cry to, no one to tell, no one to express my feelings and thoughts to. My parents were hell bent on moulding me into the type of daughter they wanted me to be that they totally forgot about certain things.
They never cared about what went on when they were not around. I wasn’t treated as every kid wished to be. I was treated how they wanted me to be treated. No one cared about me or my feelings.
I was broken, sad, I felt used, abused, and maltreated, for what? Because I was a kid and I couldn’t talk about the adults, no one would believe a child over its parent. Things turned for the worse when years later, I lost my dad to an undiagnosed illness. Though I wasn’t treated right, I still loved my dad, he was my parent, after all, he provided for me, and I wished he did more than that.
My grades dropped, I completely hated myself, I blamed myself for everything, I thought it was all my fault, maybe I don’t deserve people, that’s why they leave. My mum became worse; she called me names, said if she died, everyone should know that I killed her. I didn’t have great teenage years, instead, I fell deeper into depression and sadness, I attempted suicide at the age of 13 and tried again two more times in different years.
One day, I woke up in a hospital bed and imagined myself in a coffin, cold and stiff, completely lifeless. And I asked myself, “If you keep doing this and finally end your life, what difference would it make? What would you be referred to by your age mates, family and relatives? Nothing.” It was a small talk to myself, but it changed me forever. It changed the way I saw myself, the way I thought, and the words I spoke in my life.
It changed my relationship with my mum and the people around me. I finally broke free from the shackles that held me from moving. The voices in my head left mysteriously, I saw the world differently, and I felt fulfilled. Here are ways you can also take charge of your mental health;
1: DO THINGS YOU ARE GOOD IN
One way to take charge of your mental health is to engage in things you’re good at or hobbies you love, such as singing, playing chess, hitchhiking, dancing, and playing games that help you think more would help boost your mood. There is this happiness that comes with winning, so things like winning a game, singing and doing basically everything you love doing would help you take charge of your mental health and have confidence in yourself.
2: HAVING A GOOD THERAPIST
A good therapist who listens and pays attention to you would help you make the right decisions and ways to get over your depression or whatever issues you have. A good therapist or counsellor would carry you along and not exempt you from his decision-making over your health.
A good therapist would ask for your opinion and would be eager to know about your thoughts on certain thing things. He cares about you and your feelings and deeply understands you and not just because he wants to do his job and make money. People are wired differently; what worked for another client cannot work for you, so a good therapist is very important.
3: TAKING MEDICATION
In this case, we all know that there are different types of mental health problems like bipolar, schizophrenia, depression, and the rest. A depressed person would need depressants, depending on how severe it is. Learn that those drugs are used to help you and not for you to survive; there’s a difference there.
Stick to your medications, join online groups where you can get support and freely express yourself without judgment, go for therapy sessions, and talk to trusted family members, but be careful about whom you express yourself to, as not everyone is knowledgeable enough about these things. Believe strongly in yourself, and always remember that suicide is never an option. Think about the people you love, and you will see a reason to live and survive. Always remember that there are people who truly care. Good luck.
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We provide 5 different types of Counseling ranging from Marriage and Family Counselling, Educational Counselling, Rehabilitation Counselling, Mental Health Counselling, and Substance Abuse Counselling.
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