Helping Others

It seems to me that we have medicalised mental health so much that we have lost some of our inate ability to help each other. I feel that it is an important. aspect of having a mental health experience. Its a healing act for yourself and for the other person or even people you decide to help. Its about giving back and this is a key principle of many spiritual and recovery principles. Giving back frees you up from some of the self obsession that happens when you go through what can be a really tough challenging time. it allows you to forget about yourself for a moment and focus fully on the needs and wants of another. When you are ready you could perhaps take on some volunteering or even before that get into the practice of thinking about others as you go about your day to day business. This could be as simple as moving out of the way to give someone the full pavement as you walk. it could involve giving someone a smile as you pass them. It could also involve asking someone you bump into how their day is going, I always follow this up with a frank response. If im having a rocky day I say so. You would be amazed at how people open up to this treatment. This is a point of connection. Its one real human speaking honestly to another and it frees people of the need to respond with a made up version of 'okness'. Helping others could be sharing what works for you as you navigate your experience it might even lead to you talking openly about your mental health experience. Helping others is one of the most healing experiences we can have and that we can offer others.