The Journey Isn't Futile
The drugs that save us and the drugs that hurt us are sometimes one and the same. Getting better from a mental illness isn’t a straightforward process. Doctors and modern medicine can help out enormously ... Can give relief, can lift moods, can solve a multitude of problems. However, they’re not infallible. Sometimes the medication for anxiety can cause depression. Sometimes the side effects of a subscription can be worse than the original problem, or even have the opposite affect of the intended. We have set remedies and prescriptions for common illnesses but not for mental illnesses. Not really. In the U.S., approximately the same number of people fall sick with the flu each year as the number of people who suffer from a mental illness each year. And yet there is no cure. And perhaps never will be. Why? Because we all suffer differently and therefor all heal differently. Which is why I say, find what’s right for you. Get involved in your own treatment. Ask questions, do research. Explore different options. I know the MASSIVE benefits of modern medicine, but I’ve also become more and more open to alternative healing methods. Acupuncture, massage, energy work, cupping, herbal treatments, diets, counseling, hypnosis, exercise, aroma therapy, meditation, etc. Why not give it go?! What do you have to lose? Your brain is ill, your heart is heavy, and all you want in the world is to get better. For me personally, massage is great; it keeps a lot of the more severe muscle aches at bay. Acupuncture has worked wonders for my anxiety and sleep issues. Various supplements, prescriptions, and herbs have lessened the symptoms of my depression. Still though, I’m acutely aware of the fact that what works this week may not work next week. And what works this year is vastly, vastly different than what worked for me a few years ago. It’s hard sometimes not to lose hope when a treatment that was previously working no longer does. It’s easy to think you’ll never be better, you’ll never be normal, or healthy, or functional. But just because the journey toward health is long and bumpy, doesn’t mean its futile. Take even one peaceful day, one beneficial treatment, or one genuine smile as a success. Believe that ‘better’ is attainable even if ‘cured’ isn’t. Remember that shit days happens, but so do great ones.
