The belief that broken minds and depressed souls are found solely in mental hospitals is a presumptive notion. Many people carry a damaged mind to work, colleges and gatherings, masking their damaged minds under a carefully crafted guise of contentment.
What people fail to realize is that injured minds can be a gateway to various mental health issues. Broken minds can cause depression, anxiety and in severe cases, may even lead to suicides.
Humans fail to realize that sometimes our minds can pose a threat to our health too. Just like a wound left untreated could get infected and spread its toxicity throughout the whole body, an injured mind, if neglected, can cause adverse effects on an individual’s mental health.
It is greatly depressing that people would feel no hesitance in identifying and admitting a physical weakness but would go to all lengths to never admit their or other’s mental weaknesses. Why? Stigma perhaps or labels and stereotypes. Sadly, people tend to ignore symptoms of a damaged mind and try to put on a tough front which ultimately leads to even more complications.
What is Broken Mind?
There is no definite way to define what a broken mind is. Broadly, a mind that has been damaged by negative thoughts, traumas, untold secrets that have resided in the mind for ages with no outlet, self-deprecating thoughts not being countered by positivity to neutralize their effect and an overall sense of not having control over one’s feelings and the helplessness of not knowing how to fix your fragmented mind is what having a broken mind entails.
Broken Mind and Depression
When the mind is broken into fragments and the spirit is surrounded by too much negativity, it fails to identify and absorb the positivity around it.
As a result, a broken mind may fall victim to depression, isolating itself from the seemingly ‘happy’ people around it, which may potentially prove to be lethal in severe cases.
However, contrary to the prevalent belief, a broken mind can heal. It’s a matter of how you go about the process that will determine how effective it is in your case.
How to Fix a Broken Mind?
Fixing yourself up is a long, tedious process and an emotional rollercoaster but it is not impossible. Fixing a shattered mind and a broken spirit is no easy process. However, once you commit, you’ll find that your past mistakes no longer haunt you nor does negativity consume you.
Following is a list of things you can do to fix a broken mind.
1. Self-Love
Self-love and self-appreciation are the greatest strengths of an individual. Self-love is the best shield against the outside negativity as well as the negativity within.
Loving oneself means loving the faults and flaws that are a part of you. This includes past traumas, mistakes and fears that made you who you are today.
Self-love and appreciation is the best remedy for a broken and depressed mind.
2. Acceptance
The first step towards betterment is always accepting yourself as human and not setting unreasonable ideals and objectives for yourself.
Learn to accept yourself as the human you are. Learn to accept your inability to do things that others can, because no two people have the same kind of abilities. Learn to do things for fun and not to compete.
Accepting yourself as an imperfect human with flaws and learning to love that flawed person can become your strength and help you mend your fractured mind.
3. Put Yourself First
Give yourself the importance that you deserve. Appreciate yourself for your achievements and be nice to yourself.
Do not ignore your desires and needs in order to feel accepted in society. Once you start loving yourself and accept yourself for who you are, you will find it easier to put yourself first.
Your broken mind needs attention. It wants to be listened to. Do not let other people’s thoughts dictate your actions, rather, do what you like and do what you need to do.
We all tend to be people-pleasers but we often forget to please ourselves. Why then, are we surprised when our mind forgets how to feel happy? Learn to do things that make you happy without concerning yourself with what makes others happy.
4. Cut Out Negativity
Negativity doesn’t necessarily come in the form of mean comments and destructive criticism. The lack of acceptance from friends and family and their ignorance of your mental condition is also a form of negativity.
Even if it means limited conversations with your family, breaking off friendships and distancing from people who are close to you, cutting them off is how you can fix your broken spirit.
5. Surround Yourself with Positivity
As you begin cutting out the negative people from your life, balance it out by surrounding yourself with optimistic people who radiate positivity through their actions and speech, making you feel wanted.
Gradually, the negativity inside you will be overpowered by the positivity around you. Of course, you must work on making yourself a positive person as well.
6. Mindful Activities
Keep your noisy and chaotic thoughts under control to minimize stress and to fix your broken mind by practicing mindfulness. The less stress you have, the less opportunities for your mind to dwell upon the fragments of your past traumas.
Check out this list of mindful activities that can help you de-stress and focus: 10 Mindful Activities for Adults.
7. Therapy
Never rule out the option of medical treatment and getting professional help. There’s a stigma around mental health that keeps people from seeking therapy which ultimately leads to further complications.
If you are suffering from depression and your damaged mind hinders you from carrying out your daily activities, do not hesitate to seek medical help. Therapy has proven to be helpful in many cases and is a great way to let out your pent up frustration and fears.
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