Just Getting By

It is healthy to have an outlet for our frustrations. Keeping our hurt or anger inside causes these feelings to grow. They slowly eat away at our very being. A way must be utilized to vent and allow what hurts to slowly heal. There are methods, common and uncommon, that one may use as a release. Most forms are healthy and beneficial while a few, though understandable, only exacerbate the problem.

It is socially acceptable to drink while less so to smoke. Tobacco and alcohol have for many years been the method of choice for dealing with stress. One may temporarily feel better but over time have to deal with liver disease and cancer. Drugs are an option to be sure. After the effect wears off are you really in a better place mentally?

Some items are not inherently unhealthy as stress-relievers go. Comfort food makes us feel better. Video games takes our mind off of our troubles. Shopping gets us out of the house and affords us a way to assuage our pain. The greater the hurt the more likely we are to overdo these things and therefore add to our ever-mounting troubles.

When we unburden ourselves we must do so in some way that is therapeutic and not deleterious to our souls. Talking to someone who truly cares about our well-being is healthy. Find a person who will listen and not judge. Keeping thoughts in a journal is useful as well. A small toy or familiar old blanket may give you comfort from the storm that rages within.

Therapy is not always an option. Good mental health professionals cost money. Self-help books might be a substitute of sorts but they are written too generally. We need to keep our thoughts straight in our minds. It is hard to know just how we think or feel when our minds feel like a swirling miasma that is not under our control.

Some of the methods I mentioned are fine for the short-term but they will hardly offer support throughout one's lifetime. We need a way to get what we need that will last and keep us healthy. Friends and journals offer support. Hobbies that we enjoy also help us take a break from recurring mental imagery. Moments of quiet and honest reflection allow us to take stock of just where we are inside.

With all of the problems and pain we humans encounter we cannot help but need a way to let it all out. Outer cuts and scratches heal over time. Inner salves and bandages for our hidden wounds are harder to come by. This is why we need to be creative when seeking healthy outlets. Use one of my examples or create one of your own. Either way just please remember to remove the cork from time to time and let out what only hurts to hold inside.