This month, I’m going to talk about mental health victories and milestones. Acknowledging and celebrating these successes, both big and small, can boost confidence, increase motivation, and reinforce positive behavior. These could be significant achievements, like therapy completion or time without self harm, or small, every day achievements, like getting out of bed, completing daily tasks, or practicing self care.
There are several ways to acknowledge and celebrate the different milestones and victories related to your mental health and well-being. You can keep a journal: Write down your thoughts, feelings, and daily wins to track your progress. Share the joy with others: Tell a trusted friend, a family member, or your counselor about your victory. Reward yourself: Use positive reinforcement, like a small treat or fun activity to celebrate your progress. Focus on the positive: Actively recognize your abilities and celebrate your progress, which can help combat negative thought patterns and build your self-esteem.
As I cruise through my mental health journey, it doesn’t come without winding roads, wrong turns, dead ends and detours. That’s why I make it a priority to celebrate achievements along the way. This month, I will recognize three successes in my journey. The first being six months free of self harm. It’s not something I am proud to admit, but I am definitely proud to have made it half a year without cutting. The second being survival. Six years ago, I was severely depressed and tried to end my life. I have LIVED six years after wanting not to. And even though I am thriving now, it isn’t always easy. I fight like crazy every single day to stay functioning and to make it another day. And that brings me to my third success. Counseling. Three years strong with appointments to help me along the way. What started out as a weekly session, is now a monthly check in. I am strong enough to know, that if something feels off or if I start to regress, I make my appointments closer together. Had I known years ago that talking to a complete stranger and taking some medication could make me feel better, I would have done it much sooner! That is what makes everyone’s mental health journey very different and very unpredictable. Ebbs and flows. Ups and downs. Wrong turns and detours.
So, how do I celebrate these achievements during my journey? That depends on the individual success. I’ve come far enough in my journey to acknowledge yearly events. But with my self harm starting from zero on May 1st, I acknowledge one month at a time until I reach one year, and then yearly after that. It’s kind of like those workplace signs that say “It has been X amount of days since our last accident” that hang by the timeclock. I’ve learned that taking things one day at a time is all I can do to achieve forward progress. And if I regress or have a relapse, I pick myself up and start over again. Yearly treats to celebrate my victories are a must! Whether it be a sweet treat or a self-care outing, it is well deserved for my achievement!
Journaling is also a big part of my celebrations and healing. Good or bad, I try to write a couple sentences about my day in a notebook. This also helps me when I see my counselor and I can fill them in on my ups and downs since our previous session. It can establish patterns of emotions and the what, when, and why it was happening. That way, I can look back and work on different coping skills and figure out what works best for me when it happens again.
So, whether you journal, share your joy, or reward yourself, every achievement is a victory and should be celebrated! It is kind of like having more than one birthday a year! Six years ago I started over and I mark the yearly milestone by sharing my joy and accomplishments with others, and also enjoying a sweet treat. I also have a rockstar library squad that cheers me on along the way!
Until next time, stay happy, healthy, and safe! ~Sally~
