There’s a lot of bad press around mental health. What if I was to suggest that for some people the experience of a mental health ‘crisis’ ‘episode’ or ‘breakdown’ (terms that many people I have seen used to refer to their experience), is the very thing needed to take us to a new, higher level of thinking and being?
Throughout my career and in my personal life (both myself and close friends), I have seen adversity and challenge, resulting in symptoms that would be described as anxiety and depression, have been the crucial turning point in someone’s life.
It has been like an alarm bell signaling ‘something needs to change in my life’. Many people feel forced to stop in their tracks immediately and take a long hard look at everything from their work-life balance to relationships they have in their lives, to the relationship they have with themselves.
And at the end of it, they report:
- a new appreciation for life
- more meaningful relationships
- deeper empathy for others’ suffering
- a sense of feeling better prepared to deal with whatever life brings.
I wonder if any of you can relate to the growth that comes from struggle? I certainly can.
