Recovering from mental illness can be challenging at times. Healing is not linear, and challenging moments can make it tempting to give up. Although, choosing to lean in when you want to lean out of recovery is what leads to self-trust, self-confidence, and healing in ways that you may never have thought possible.
Discomfort as a Green Light
You can expect resistance to show up while in recovery. Without it, change would not keep happening. Healing is a marathon, not a sprint. Â What if the discomfort was a green light to lean in and keep going rather than a red light to stop?
In moments of discomfort and fear of the unknown, it can be easy to take these feelings as a sign to go back to familiar habits that are no longer in alignment with the goals and desires you have for yourself. What works in your healing journey can change throughout the process, so your maintenance stage might have to morph as you grow.
Taking It One Step at a Time
Sometimes the most overwhelming thing about healing is the pressure and expectations you place on yourself to be completely healed, to do it perfectly, or to always be progressing. This is not a realistic expectation—you are human, and being human means that sometimes all you can do is focus on what one step you need to take at this moment to feel even a little more open to life.
It can be helpful to ask yourself in moments when it feels hard to lean in and continue showing up what it is that you need right now. Then, give yourself the gift of coming back to your breath, slowing down, and choosing to stay present.
Showing Yourself Compassion
One of the greatest ways to allow healing to happen is to learn how to give yourself self-compassion, as this naturally leads to healing and creating the change you desire that is rooted in self-compassion. It can be helpful to remind yourself of the following things:
- That this is just a moment of suffering
- This feeling will not last forever
- You can do hard things
- Give yourself grace in the process
Healing is not linear and sometimes it can feel tempting to lean out of the discomfort and choose to not show up for your future self. The moments when it is hard are the moments when it is most important to continue. You can do this by taking discomfort as a green light, taking it one step at a time, and having compassion for yourself.
Recovery from mental illness is hard. As tempting as it can be to give up when it feels like healing is not happening, it is important to lean into this resistance as this means change is happening. Healing isn’t always easy, which is why you should take it one step at a time and give yourself compassion when you’re struggling. At Avalon Malibu, we recognize this is challenging, but it can be easier when you have support. If you are ready to begin or continue healing, call Avalon Malibu today at (844) 857-5992.
