Taking Steps to Achieve Mental Health-Part 2-Incorporating Insight

“What we learn to do, we learn by doing.”

-          Aristotle

In the last chapter, we explored ways to gain insight into our thoughts, feelings, and behaviors.  Once we have gained insight it is then necessary to incorporate it into our lives.  This may require us to step outside of our comfort zone and to ‘try on’ new ways of being in situations.  This might feel awkward at first, but we can tell ourselves that the feeling is only temporary and will lessen as we gain more experience.

Here are some ways to incorporate insight into our lives:

Keep a log- We can write down any insights we have gained, date them, and then make personal time to meditate on them. 

Accept opportunities- We need to be open to any opportunities which allow us to try out a new behavior or to confront our issues, even if this stirs feelings of anxiety, frustration, or other discomfort.

Act ‘as if’- Sometimes, we can wait until we feel completely comfortable and confident to make a change in our life, other times, it is necessary to simply act ‘as if’ we are comfortable with a new behavior or way of being.  The idea behind this is to act out the behavior so that eventually the feeling will follow.  As we repeat the behavior over and over, it becomes a more natural part of our interactions.

Reflect on experiences- We need to bring our new experiences and/or behaviors into therapy sessions and reflect on them. The therapist can help to highlight instances where we demonstrated a healthier attitude, made a good decision for ourselves, or interacted in a more effective way.  The session also gives us the opportunity to process how we felt and what thoughts we may have had before, during, and after our experiences. This can lead to further insight. 

As we progress in our mental health treatment, we may experience a ‘flow’ in which we gain insight, change a behavior/situation, gain further insight, act on that awareness, gain further insight, etc.

May we all discover the courage within to begin our journey toward mental health and bring fulfillment into our lives and relationships. 

Feel free to share your own insights by posting a comment below.