Without bypassing any of the pain inherent in mental health concerns, there is a purpose beyond them, a purpose that can be seen even in the midst of them. And that’s all that matters, isn’t it? That there would be some purpose in the pain, or purpose that would come from the pain.
I would certainly entertain arguments to the contrary, given that seeing a purpose in our pain is a bridge too far for many people. Part of my purpose here, therefore, is to sow forward some ideas for a purpose beyond grief, depression, anxiety, panic attacks, trauma responses, etc.
First, it bears repeating that many mental health advocates have been spurred on to help others because of their own struggles, and because of the help they themselves received.
I know many of them personally, and I myself am one of them, and in just about every case mental health advocates were so gobsmacked by the sheer intensity of their mental health challenges that once they recovered, they devoted their lives to helping others. They found their purpose beyond their mental health struggle, just as they came to understand how pervasive these struggles are.
What was unearthed in these times was both passion and compassion, which unearthed a great deal of capacity for empathy. Their eyes were opened just as much as the eyes of their hearts were opened, and something that was designed to crush them, didn’t crush them, and it indeed unearthed a great deal of strength emergent out of weakness.
If you are battling right now, amid the whirlwind of calamity, unable to make head nor tail of your situation, take a short moment to imbibe a hope that you need right now.
If you’re in that place where you are betwixt and between and your heart has grown sick, please take heart in knowing that your faith hasn’t gone unacknowledged or unrecognised.
The broader purpose of having gone to hell and back is you are able to attest to the temerity of the journey and the authenticity ingrained in recovering from such a journey, perhaps morphing into a lifestyle of recovery.
You are a herald for the suffering possible in life. In the opening of your eyes, you have been granted the blessing of spiritual sight, even though you may not see that as a blessing at all now.
Those who descend into a chasm of anxiety and distress from burnout are learning more about the limits on themselves, and this was a learning they were always bound to encounter. It all makes so much sense from hindsight even if these are uncomfortable truths.
There is a purpose beyond the tests and trials and tumults of life when it’s these very things that are putting us in touch with the very resources we’ve always needed to develop or be aware of. As a counsellor, I’m most consciously aware that it’s putting people in touch with their own resources which is my most important role, other than simply listening and empathising with people.
None of us gets better or grows much at all without being presented with challenges that overwhelm us. We would all prefer to live a comfortable and easy existence, but that’s not life in this world—never was, never will be.
There are so many purposes beyond grief, depression, anxiety, etc, and there is no limit of them, given that we all experience life slightly differently.
If the challenges of life propel us to be curious to find solutions, then those challenges have done their job. There is a purpose in overcoming.
If we look at Helen Keller’s take on “life being a daring adventure or nothing at all” then we can agree that mental health concerns are part and parcel of the adventure.
My hope is that this article has something in it that encourages or challenges you.
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