These mental health journeys we’re all on are so hard, bc “what” we’re supposed to do can so often feel counter-intuitive.
During periods when you start to feel better, your mind naturally goes – “Alright, maybe I’m getting back to me…maybe I’m in a groove…maybe I’ve finally reached a place I can coast.”
On the flip side, when we feel awful, our minds go into “fix it” mode: “What do I need to do right now, this second…what should I have even done yesterday, to get me out of this awful mess.”
The balance of our parasympathetic & sympathetic nervous system is a big part of the issue. When the parasympathetic kicks in & we’re feeling good, we think we can coast. On the flip side, when we feel awful, the sympathetic nervous system kicks in & guess what – we make ourselves WORSE by obsessing & trying to fix ourselves even more.
In my own struggle, when I crashed, I kept testing my brain: How many pro sports teams can I write down on paper? How much has my memory been impacted? I need to do something to fix it.
What it took me a long time to realize is – when you’re in the zone, feeling good….that’s the time to do MORE of what’s gotten you there…not to coast. You’re laying down positive tracks in your brain. The grooves are getting deeper. You can come back to them more easily down the road.
If you’ve played blackjack (responsibly;), you know to press & bet progressively when you’re on a win streak. Why? Bc when you go on the inevitable losing streak (bc we ALL do, that’s life) & you only bet the minimum ante, you’ve got reserves from the earlier run you went on.
Positive MH is abt pressing when you’re on a good run. Build reserves – more meditation, yoga, mindfulness, ie STARR Exercises when you can. It pays dividends so that when you need to coast a little when you get in a rut, when life beats you up, you can, w/o stressing that you’re never going to get back to baseline.