Brain Work and Heart Work

When one does not feel “well” by behavioral health standards, getting better can be a difficult, complex challenge. It involves examining one’s thoughts, habits, relationships, and expectations. For those who have made multiple treatment attempts, the rhetoric of intervention becomes familiar, and can seem superficial. Discouragement, even despair can seep in, and hope for a better life can begin to wane.

Perhaps more information is not the answer. Smarter is not always better. Unfiltered emoting is not necessarily a sign of mental wellness, either. You may be missing recovery by just twelve inches—the distance between the brain and the heart. Understanding the connection between what one thinks and how one feels is essential to mental wellness.

Feeling disconnected from others may require one to “get out of the head” and “check in with the heart.” This can be uncomfortable, even painful. Achieving mental wellness is not easy for everyone, but improving wellness is possible. If one continues to struggle with feeling mentally well, it may be that the next step is not “brain work”, but “heart work.”

Today, I will be aware of my thinking and my emotions. I will make sure that both parts of me have an equal say in selecting my next step.