Mental health recovery involves plenty of learning, vulnerability, and change. While this doesn’t sound like the best time to start dating, it doesn’t mean it’s impossible. There will be some form of concern regarding dating while still receiving treatment for a mental health condition. However, you can still start a healthy relationship despite the uncertainty of navigating the road to recovery. Discovering the key elements of healthy dating while maintaining your routines in recovery from your mental health ailments will set you on a path to success.
Moving Slowly: Casual Dating
When struggling with your mental health, the last thing you need to do is prioritize someone before yourself. That’s why it’s best to keep things casual when you are back in the dating pool. If you jump into a relationship too soon, you’ll be jeopardizing your recovery and may find yourself heading towards relapsing. Taking an honest inventory of where your vulnerabilities, fears, and how defects of character present themselves in relationships is a healthy step in gauging your readiness to enter the dating world.
That’s why it’s critical to refrain from quickly establishing one another as a boyfriend or girlfriend. Instead, concentrate on enjoying yourself, meeting new people, and learning more about yourself. Don’t put too much importance on the outcome or on finding “the one.” Instead, set your intentions on meeting new people and having fun. Not only is this less stressful, but it will also help you avoid misplacing intense emotions on another person when you need to be focusing on yourself.
To Tell or Not to Tell?
You may be wondering, “should I tell them about my mental health?” Well, the answer is not if you don’t want to. When casually dating and meeting new people, you have no reason to divulge this private information. However, if you have met someone with whom you want to explore a long-term relationship, you should be honest about your health.
If you’re in a long-term relationship, it’s preferable to be open about your mental health issues earlier rather than wait until you find yourself amidst a mental crisis. You don’t have to disclose your medical history when you first start dating, but you will want to be truthful about your treatment as the relationship progresses and becomes more serious.
Prioritize Honesty and Communication
Honesty is crucial to building a solid relationship and maintaining your recovery, regardless of whether you’re dating someone or building friendships. Being open and honest with a possible partner about your feelings and limits can help you move forward in your recovery and learn more about yourself.
When dating, you may feel pressured constantly to show the best version of yourself. Yet, to build a lasting relationship, there are times when you’ll need to be honest about who you are and your emotions. If you’re not ready to do this, you may need to reconsider if you’re entirely ready to start dating. Understand it takes time to be fully emotionally prepared for healthy, long-lasting romantic relationships.
Identify Your Triggers While Dating
It would help if you always put your health first, especially when dating. Identifying your triggers and knowing what can negatively impact you will allow you to set the necessary boundaries and cope with these stimuli. Dating can put you in various situations and environments that can be triggering, and preparing for them can help you better cope with them.
Be aware of the factors that impact your mood or behavior, and devise coping techniques with your therapist to reduce or eliminate these triggers. Knowing your triggers and taking steps to counter them effectively can prevent relapse and help you on your journey to a full recovery.
Discuss Dating With Your Therapist
Before diving back into the dating scene, consider bringing this subject up with your therapist first. Your therapist knows your journey, how far you’ve come, and how much farther you need to go. Due to this insight, your therapist can help you understand whether you’re fully ready or not to start a new relationship amid your recovery. They can better assist you in preparing and learning how to re-enter the dating world while protecting your mental health.
Our mental health professionals at Avalon Malibu can guide you in your daily life while undergoing your mental health treatment. Whether you’re looking for individual therapy, group therapy, or family therapy, Avalon Malibu has the treatment for your unique needs. Our facility offers multiple healing activities, including art therapy, acupuncture, yoga, and more.
We aim for our patients to take control of their mental health by teaching them how to cope with life’s daily stressors, including the ones encountered while dating. When struggling with mental health, having a professional’s guidance can make a world of difference in your quality of life and open up new possibilities, including dating.
Navigating life while undergoing mental health treatment can be challenging. That’s why we’re here to help. We address various mental health problems and related difficulties at Avalon Malibu. We are one of the few residential treatment institutions in California certified to treat mental health and psychiatric problems as the primary diagnosis. We offer high-quality care for various mental health disorders, assisting clients in receiving the treatment they require to control their varied symptoms and enhance their quality of life. We treat our mental health clients by teaching them coping skills and assisting them in gaining control. It’s never too late to start your path to health and recovery by learning more and calling (844) 857-5992.
