Feeling like you have no where to turn? Exhausted with your problems and feel like they won’t be changing anytime soon? Wait- you’re not alone. Many people have felt this down, but things can and DO turn around. Here are some things to think about to get started and how to have hope:

Remember a time when things turned out to be much better than you expected

Ever felt a moment when you were so panicked, certain that a specific outcome was going to happen and your life would be ruined but then…it never happened? Keep this in mind to know that your perspective is not always right. It may also help to know there is a greater force in the world that has much more knowledge and perspective than you do and that even when you feel absolutely certain that something bad is going to happen, you can recall back to those times when it just wasn’t true.

Identify your triggers

Like the last point, not only understanding your mental health disorder in general but knowing what sets you off can help you become more aware of your issues and help you separate yourself from them. Whether it’s caffeine or lack of sleep, you can notice why you are feeling the way you are feeling more often and quickly when you know what to look for. Start a journal or tracking on your mobile phone some for several weeks and you may surprise yourself!

Learn more about mental health

There are great resources and books out there that can help you understand what’s going on and help you feel better at the same time. This process is called psycho-education.
As you learn more about your own mental health issue, you learn and remember more quickly your amazing strength to manage it, the resource you can tap into for extra help, and your self-talk start changing to be more positive and thus you have more hope. Remember: knowledge is power.

Find supportive people and seek professional help

Do you have both peers you can be open with as well as trust with a professional that can help you get better? Both of these are important. If you feel like you don’t have many friends, join something new and start developing them. Scared to see a therapist, don’t trust them, or don’t know what to expect? Know that many people have felt the way you feel when they first started with one, but by the end they accomplished more goals than they could have imagined. You can start by asking your school counselor for what to do to get started.

Hope

Many of these tips have great outcomes, but they don’t happen overnight. However like with everything, you do need to start TODAY to ever see the benefits. For more advice and to stay on track, join our mailing list below: Have hope!