Disclaimer
Please always remember that there is no quick fix for any mental health issue. In order to overcome it, you have to address your problem and ask for help a mental health professional. There are many mental health institutions where you can find professional support. Suffering in secret is never a good idea. Mental health professionals are out there to help people with any type of mental health issue. Don’t minimize your problems, sometimes everyone needs help and there is nothing to be ashamed of. If you find it difficult to go to the mental health institution just call a helpline (you can easily find a number online and it’s free!)
Remember you are not alone even if you feel this way. Many people have mental health problems especially in today’s world where it becomes more and more difficult to cope with stress and anxiety.
My Father Has Passed Away From ALS...
An emotional breakdown can actually happen to anyone, at every stage of life regardless of how strong, self-aware or balanced someone is. Life itself is incredibly intense and difficult even if we’re not going through a particularly hard time. But let’s face it, there are moments, sometimes hours when life becomes brutally hard and incredibly unforgiving. All of a sudden, you’re being hit by more than one life-changing catastrophes and you feel abused by your own existence. Nothing, absolutely nothing is okay and you have every right to feel confused, overwhelmed, terrified, powerless and completely out of control. It’s ok to feel that way even if you’re a grown-up. So if someone is telling you that you should pull yourself together because “those” things happen and you’re an adult tell them to shut up. It’s the same as a woman giving birth and instead of receiving the support she hears that she’s not the first woman bringing a child… (my friend’s experience).
Anyways, it’s quite normal to go crazy when everything’s hitting you at once not giving you a chance to make up your mind or even take a deep breath.
When life becomes incredibly complex it’s normal to have terrible thoughts in the head about not being able to make it. Sometimes the pain is so intense and overwhelming that handling it becomes almost impossible. It starts to seem like the worst nightmare you could ever imagine. But unfortunately, it’s not a bad dream it’s your life and it’s scary. What you’re going through is an emotional breakdown.
Well, that’s a scary thing to go through and a scary place to be mentally and physically. I know exactly what I am saying because I’ve been there more than once. I went through a nervous breakdown three times in my life. The last time it happened was about three months ago: I remember that day very well. I received two phone calls. One was from my doctor telling me that I should get some health tests because there is something wrong with me and second from my brother telling me that our father has passed away from ALS…
I remember sitting on my bedroom floor crying and feeling completely lost and hopeless. I didn’t know by then if that experience would completely break me or make me stronger. All I knew was that it would certainly change me. Even if I didn’t know what that meant by then. The next few days were even worse because when the shock wore off, I realized what really happened on the last day of February 2019…
And I just knew that I had to make a decision. I had to decide how I wanted to live this experience. I could focus only on the negatives and kept asking: “why me?” Or I could turn my pain into positive growth. And you know what? I choose the second option.
If you’re still wondering why I am telling you all of this it’s because I want you to know that if you’re going through a tough time right now don’t give up. You can turn your pain into your power and wounds into your wisdom. Life is the best teacher. Some lessons are more difficult than others but every single one of them is crucial and much needed. So don’t get discouraged if the lesson is more difficult than you thought. Harder lessons are designed to challenge you and build upon your knowledge. Choose to grow and learn from this experience. And remember that time is the best healer.
10 Powerful Tips To Survive A Nervous Brakedown
1. Let Yourself Feel Your Emotions
Denying your feelings and emotions often leads to more suffering. Not to mention that it definitely not resolve a difficult life situation. For this reason alone it’s important to acknowledge your current state of mind and express your feelings in a healthy and mature way. Besides, having extremely bad experiences and negative emotions it’s totally ok. Everyone will go through some hard times at some point. That’s the nature of life.
So if you are facing a personal tragedy and your world is falling apart knows that it will get better. You will get better. This moment will pass. Allow yourself to feel your emotions. Don’t beat yourself up for feeling depressed, anxious, terrified or in pain. Don’t fight with yourself because you will lose. Face your fears. Accept the pain you feel in the moment and it will stop overwhelming you and eventually you will find your inner peace.
2. Talk It Out
Don’t isolate. Talking to someone about your personal tragedy can be an incredible relief. Even if you won’t resolve the situation immediately open up to someone can bring clarity in thoughts and give you a completely different perspective on your life situation.
Going through a particularly hard time in life can easily make you feel confused, upset and overwhelmed. Let’s face it intrusive thoughts popping up in your head can compromise your critical and logical thinking not allowing you to focus on finding a solution to your problems. So when you’re feeling confused and completely consumed by your unwanted thoughts and difficult feeling just talk to someone. Besides, talking about problems is incredibly therapeutic and can help you to see the whole picture instead of focusing only on one aspect of the situation. So please don’t reject this possibility.
3. Write It Out Loud
Journaling is a powerful tool in healing. It not only helps you to deal with strong emotions but also gains clarity of mind and thoughts. For me personally, writing is definitely the most effective practice for releasing my pain and managing difficult feelings and intrusive thoughts. Honestly, in the most difficult moments of my life journaling helped me to face my fears and solve my problems. Sometimes the chaos in your head compromises your ability to focus and logical thinking but if you take a pen and paper you can easily understand what is really going on into your head. Furthermore, journaling is a powerful tool not only for self-healing but above all for self-reflection and personal development. That is why I highly recommend you start journaling especially when you’re going through a hard time in life.
4. Distract
I find distraction an incredibly effective way to deal with stressful and painful experiences. Redirecting your energy and thoughts on some other more pleasant thing can not only reduce your stress and anxiety but even drastically improve your state of mind. Of course watching your favorite Netflix series, listening to music or talking to someone may not solve your problems but it will give a moment of relief so much needed in difficult life situations. It’s like shifting naturally into a different dimension to wait out the storm in a calm place and the come back to the reality when everything settles down. Doing something enjoyable redirect your focus and almost automatically lowers your anxiety and stress levels. Sometimes it can even make you forget for a while that you’re going through a particularly difficult moment in life.
5. Practice Mindfulness
Practice guided mindfulness meditation for pain relief and sleep
- Find a 5-minute Mindfulness Meditation online
- Sit or lie down in a comfortable position
- Close your eyes
- Focus on your breathing
- Let your mind flow and do its thing
- Try to relax and releases muscle tensions
- And if you fall asleep during mindfulness meditation don’t worry because it is actually a good thing
Try the 4-7-8 breathing exercise:
- Choose a place to do your breathing exercise
- Make sure no one will bother you
- Sit or lie down in a comfortable position
- Relax your neck and shoulders
- Close your eyes
- Inhale slowly through your nose to a mental count of 4
- Hold your breath for a count of 7
- Exhale slowly by blowing air through your pursed lips for a count of 8
- Let go of your thoughts and unpleasant emotions
- Repeat this practice 3 to 4 times per day
6. Get Professional Help
Don’t exclude this option. Dealing with intense emotional pain is hard and you may need some professional help. And there is nothing to be ashamed of. Regardless of what some may think or say seeking professional help revels strength NOT weakness. It takes courage to ask for help. Besides mental health professionals are out there to help people with any type of mental health issue. People see a therapist for many different reasons and none of them is being crazy. Even if they think they are because the complexity of their lives makes them believe in it. So if you feel you may need or want to talk to a mental health professional please do it. Don’t reject this opportunity because it can be crucial in your journey of healing.
7. Nourish yourself from the inside & out:
Nurturing yourself is extremely important especially if you’re going through a particularly difficult time in life. I know how easy is to forget about your daily living needs such as eating, drinking water or sleeping when you are dealing with a personal tragedy. But at the same time poor diet, dehydration, sleep deprivation, lack of basic self-care routine, wearing the same dirty clothes 5 days in a row can only make you feel worse. Been there, done that. So please when you’re dealing with a particularly difficult time ask someone to help you to take proper care of your daily living needs.
- Eat healthy
- Stay hydrated
- Get some quality rest
- Practice basis self-care
- Go outside and get some natural vitamin D from sunlight
- Try some light physical activity like walking or yoga
- Nourish your body, mind, and soul as you used to do before the tragic moment occured
8. Self-Care
When you’re going through a particularly hard time in life even the easiest things like taking a shower or washing your teeth can become quite challenging. Because when your mind is consumed with trying to survive intense emotional or physical pain your everyday tasks become irrelevant and almost unnecessary for proper functioning. That’s why people who are depressed find it so hard to look after themselves. But at the same time, this ability to take proper care of yourself is what helps you feel a little better. I completely understand how hard taking a shower can be when you’re dealing with intense sadness and sorrow but at the same time, I know how even a quick shower or bath can drastically improve your mood within minutes. That’s because standing in a stream of water has an incredibly relaxing and emotionally purifying effect. But if you have trouble taking a shower just start small. Wash your face with cold water and notice how it affects you mentally and physically.
9. Read Stories You Can Relate To
Going through a particularly hard time and facing a personal tragedy can make you feel lonely and isolated. At times like this, we tend to think that everyone except us leads a fairy quite and happy life. The reality is bad things happen to everyone. Furthermore, most of us experience pretty much the same stuff during our lifetime. That’s why it is so important to read other people’s stories and learn from their experience.
When my dad passed away from ALS, of course, the first thought that came to my mind was: Why me? Why does this happening to me? But after a while, I went online and I discovered stories that were reminiscent of mine. Reading about how people found their strength and wisdom in extremely painful and tragic moments of their lives grant me the courage not to give up.
10. Remember Yourself That This Moment Will Pass
Life is not linear, it’s rather a sine wave with a series of amazing highs and disastrous lows. Which means that even the hardest moment in life will pass. And after every bad time comes a good time.
Life is a stream. Sometimes it’s a careful stream and in other moments the waves become so strong that it’s hard to keep your head above water. But one thing is certain if you resist the flow it will overwhelm you. So be patient and accept your feelings. Hold on a little bit longer because you can survive this, I assure you.
Conclusion
Life is a lesson that you have to learn the hard way. But you can always turn your pain into your power and wounds into your wisdom. Difficult moments and personal tragedies are designed to challenge you and build upon your knowledge. You can grow and learn from your tragic experience. It only depends on us how we chose to live these crucial moments. You can choose the path of chaos and suffering or the path of self-growth and personal development.
Yes, it depends on you. Trust me you can choose how you want to experience every single situation that happens to you. Don’t waste your suffering, use it to grow personally, emotionally and spiritually. Just think about all of these painful moments and hurtful experiences you’ve got through. You thought you couldn’t make it BUT you DID! And you should be proud of yourself!
Stay Positive
Be Mindful
And Turn Your Pain Into Your Wisdom And Gratest Strenght
xx Kate
2 thoughts on “10 Powerful Tips To Survive An Emotional Breakdown - Finding Hope In The Face Of Personal Tragedy.”
It’s really impressive that you were able turn grief into growth this way.
Hi Ashley! Thank you so much for your words of encouragement! It means a lot to me! Being completely honest I’ve only just started my journey to self-awareness and personal growth and I hope I will be able to turn grief into my strength. It’s not easy but I’ve made a conscious decision to do that. I truly believe that everything happens for a reason sometimes we just need to put more effort into finding it… but it’s always worth doing. Thank you again for your beautiful and kind words! I wish you a beautiful week. Take care! 🙂