When I was seventeen my brother and father died nine days apart. I did not get the help, for grief, that I needed at the time. I learned to pretend that everything was okay. It wasn’t.
Without the proper tools, I turned to other substances to medicate my mind and emotions. Three years later I entered a detox centre cold turkey. My mind worsened and I required hospitalization.
Early Intervention with mental health is vital to not get stuck in a rut. Whether it be life events like grief, divorce, or moving—these all make the stress lists and require strategies to deal effectively with them. Some of us need assistance from others to navigate these challenges.
The sooner we reach out for help the better our outcome will be. We need to promote early intervention; whether it be for depression, psychosis, or anything else. Our old model (still in use in some places) waits until we are in crises to get help. Using this approach can take longer to get better.
We are worthy of assistance and can reach out for help. Please remember that it can take several tries to get the help that we need. It can be difficult to learn to look after ourselves; or to even receive goodness into our lives. It can be a challenging journey.
When is our self-care enough and when do we need to use our support networks and mental health service providers? There are screening opportunities to catch things early. Ask your health professionals.
Self-medicating with various substances can be a real focus when we do not have the right tools in our self-care toolkits. It is vital that we strive to discover what helps us. We are all different and have unique needs. And what used to help us may no longer work and we need to work with our support network to discover what works now.
Be brave to reach out. Catching it early and getting the right help can bounce us out of potential ruts and prevent us from getting stuck. Please remember it is never too late to seek help. You can do it. You are worth it.
