Credits: Social Media
First thing to do to improve your mental health when ‘spiraling’ into despair, says therapist
Mental health is pivotal for your overall well-being. Sometimes, all it takes is one minor setback to ruin it completely. So, a therapist suggests doing one specific thing when you lose control over your thoughts.
Mental health issues have become a growing concern, especially among students, as many American adults are dropping out of college due to emotional distress. Just like your “comfort food” causing great harm instead of making you feel good, not resisting certain thoughts takes a huge toll on your mind.
One negative thought can ruin your mental peace
Mental ups and downs are not uncommon. However, one negative thought can send you into a downward spiral if you aren’t mindful.
Mental Health Counselor Jeffrey urges you not to do “one thing” when an unpleasant thought takes over your mind which needs little work.
He says, your brain may be engaging in cognitive distortion called overgeneralization when something bad happens on an otherwise normal day.
This is when the brain takes one negative event and “unfairly applies to your entire life.” Say you lost a $100 bill from your wallet, you may end up thinking your “life is ruined” or you’re the “most unlucky person on Earth.”
This happens because your mind supposedly tries to find evidence that proves that “your life truly sucks”, thus pushing you into a depressive state.
Therapist’s tool to overcome it
While circumstances are unavoidable, you can train your brain to deal with them differently, so you don’t fall into a bottomless pit of darkness.
The therapist suggests consciously identifying the one thought taking over your brain. By doing this, you can tell yourself that “my mind is overgeneralizing right now just because I am having a bad moment. It doesn’t mean that I have to have a bad day.”
Or, you can laugh it off by realizing your “silly mind” is overgeneralizing a minor issue, which can be dealt with healthily without letting it affect you.
Practicing this will save you from the negative thinking trap by avoiding falling into “severe depression.”
Jeffrey is a licensed therapist, providing therapy services in Florida. He has a Bachelor’s in Psychology and a Master’s in Rehabilitation and Mental Health Counseling. With over 200,000 followers on TikTok, he uses his channel to discuss mental health, substance use, and psychology-related topics.
