I saw an article on this topic on my Facebook feed, and it got me thinking about the positive ways dealing with mental illness has affected me. Don't get me wrong, mental illness sucks. A lot. But as with most things, there are two sides to every situation. There may be a lot of cons to having a mental illness (or two or three), but that doesn't mean there can't be some pro's in there too.
I'm more self aware.
Self awareness doesn't come easily for me, I've had to consciously develop it over the years. And with mental illness, I've had to focus on it even more. Although I was already used to dissecting my thoughts about things, I wasn't used to closely monitoring my emotions, mental state, and physical condition prior to (knowingly) dealing with mental illness. Now I have to, and it's a good skill to develop.
I'm learning to accept my imperfections and limitations.
Getting worked up over my imperfections and limitations doesn't make me any better. We will occasionally fail, make mistakes, and say the wrong things no matter how hard we try. We won't always be strong enough to handle things we feel we should be able to handle. And that's ok- even if depression or anxiety tells us it's not. Sometimes we have to consciously remind ourselves of the truth when mental illness is telling us something else.
While we shouldn't use this as an excuse to not try or grow, it's important to find a balance and to not hate ourselves for being human. No one is perfect.
I'm learning the balance between self-reliance and asking for help.
I used to be very dependent on others (in part because I was raised to be that way), then I found my own strength and became very independent to the point where I don't like having to rely on anyone for anything anymore. But even the most self-reliant people need help and support at times. We do need to ask for help when things get hard. Even though we may be able to tough it out on our own, sometimes we'd be much better off letting others support us instead. Even Xena Warrior Princess had to rest and let others help her when she was wounded.
I'm prioritizing self-care.
Prioritizing rest, proper nutrition, exercise, and stress reduction can be difficult for many of us. It's so easy to neglect our own needs and wants, seeing them as luxuries instead of essentials. It's especially complicated if mental illness makes us feel like we don't deserve to have our needs met. Effectively dealing with mental illness forces us to acknowledge our own needs and make sure that they're not being regularly neglected. Pushing ourselves to the breaking point may feel productive at the time, but it can backfire and set us back long term. Prevention is often the best medicine... taking care of our minds and bodies daily can often reduce how bad our mental illness symptoms are, and how often they flare up.
I've had to challenge my inner stigmas.
Mental illness is not weakness, shameful, or rare. Asking for help and seeking therapy or counseling is responsible and a sign of strength. There is nothing wrong with taking medication when we need it. Being vulnerable and emotional in safe settings can be a very good thing, it's not weakness.
I understand other people better.
I'm naturally a compassionate person even when I don't understand, but understanding makes it easier for me to support others in more effective ways. I can see past masks that I couldn't see past before, because now I wear them too. I've heard many people say that mental illness has helped them be more compassionate towards others.
It's a source of creativity.
How many songs and books and pieces of art have stemmed from mental illness? A lot. Creative circles are full of mentally messed up people. Perhaps it's because we're more in touch with ourselves than others, or because we see life differently. For some (like me!) creative outlets are like therapy. Mental illness can very often be channeled into creativity of some kind, and it doesn't have to be writing or art or music either. There are many other ways to be creative that we might not immediately think of when we think of "creative types".
I appreciate things more.
You know how you don't appreciate your clear sinuses until you get a bad cold? Mental illness can be the same. We often don't realize how good we have it until we don't anymore. Then the little things that we used to take for granted become more appreciated and meaningful.
If we have to endure mental illness anyways, we might as well make the best of it and try to look for the positive side when possible. Having these issues can help us become better people, if we handle it that way. Getting professional help and having support can help greatly.