Taking Action for Mental Health

“If you’re going through hell, keep going.” This is a quote attributed to Winston Churchill which I share with many of my clients. While this quote has had many meanings attributed to it, there is one that is of particular importance when it comes to dealing with mental health. The most important step we can take when we are struggling psychologically is to take action. When we are struggling mentally, as with PTSD, anxiety, depression, or general life stress, it is common for our brain to go into survival mode. Put simply, our brain senses danger and does what it is biologically wired to do, protect us from harm. However, in our brain’s effort to do something positive, it can often lead to negative results.

What I see most often is that when clients are faced with one or more of the aforementioned psychological maladies, they either keep doing what caused the problem or they retreat to a place of psychological and emotional safety. At face value, retreating to safety can easily seem like a proper approach. However, when we retreat to a place of safety, we often quit doing the very things necessary to overcome our struggle. Many of us can relate. We are experiencing stress due to a busy schedule, so we quit making home cooked meals and eat fast food, or we quit working out, or we sleep less to accomplish more. Interestingly, if you were to review any websites on stress management, almost all of them agree that three of the best ways to reduce stress are to eat healthy, exercise, and get restorative sleep. Maybe we suddenly begin experiencing depressive symptoms, so we stay home more and socialize less. Again, almost all research will tell us that one of the best ways to lower or eliminate depressive symptoms is to maintain an active and social lifestyle.

So, “if you’re going through hell, keep going.” In my practice I use this quote as a reminder to my clients that, when we are faced with psychological struggle, the most important step we can take is one of forward action. I tell my clients that the things they are avoiding the most are probably the most important things for them to do. Exercise, diet, sleep, socialization, counseling, reaching out to friends and family for help are some of the most common activities my clients tell me they have been avoiding.

When we are dealing with PTSD, anxiety, stress, or depression. We often want to be alone so that we can avoid any triggers. While this may be okay as a means of regrouping and making plans to deal with the situation, in the long term it can have disastrous consequences. Whether you reach out to a loved one for support, schedule a counseling session, or figure out on your own what healthy action you can take to get out of your current situation, always keep on moving forward.