Earlier this week, I wrote about how everything we do serves a purpose when it comes to our health and wellness. I focused on physical exercise and my therapy sessions, but it applies to all areas of life. Each activity can serve a different purpose, and each moment can help us in a different way. Today, I want to elaborate further on that point because something else needs to be shared along with it. In the same way everything serves a purpose, there’s not one thing we need to do that will “solve” our mental health. There’s no magical elixir that will solve all our issues. It may sound obvious but it’s often forgotten, which is why that’s the reminder I want to share in this post.
Every so often, it’s important for me to evaluate my mental health toolkit. I reflect on what’s been working for me and what hasn’t, what I’ve been doing more of and what I’ve stopped doing as much. One thing I often reflect on is therapy. I think about my progress and where my current therapeutic journey is headed.
I also think about my relationship to therapy at that time. Is it something I’m still looking forward to? Am I relying on it too much, or not enough? What are these sessions doing for me? I strongly believe that anyone can benefit from therapy, but timing matters.
I say all that to say that evaluating my relationship with therapy is important for my mental health. I don’t want it to become the only thing I rely on when it comes to my health, or to put it on a pedestal where it doesn’t belong. There are times when therapy has felt like the only place I can express myself. Other times, it’s a good place to sit with feelings and emotions I don’t know how to process. But therapy will never solve all my problems, not on its own. And it’s not because therapy isn’t a powerful tool – it is. But it’s because when it comes to our mental health, there’s rarely an easy fix.
When it comes to my mental health, there’s never been one perfect thing. Different tips and techniques have changed my perspective on mental health. I’d even say bits of what I’ve learned has changed my life in some ways. But no one thing, on its own, has ever solved all my problems. Human beings are complex, and so is our health and wellness.
As you go through your week, I hope you remember that you are complex. That things can be simple, but people rarely are. It might be discouraging to hear that there likely isn’t one thing that’s going to solve all your problems, but I’d like to offer a counterpoint. If there’s no magical secret to health and wellness, that means nothing’s off the table. That means there’s so much you can try and if it helps, then it’s valid. If you find something that boosts your mental health and doesn’t bring harm to others, it’s just as valid as me going to therapy. We absolutely have a say in our own mental health, and it’s good that we remember that. Have a good weekend, friends!
