When you feel like you've improved, only to have your mood drop again
Q:
Just when I thought my physical and mental health were improving, I found myself worrying about things beyond my control again, and my spirits sank.
I had finally managed to be positive, so I feel pathetic, as if I've ended up right back where I started.
How can I accept these waves?
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A:
Emotional recovery is not a "staircase" but a "wave."
While repeating ups and downs, you are moving forward little by little as a whole.
You might feel like you've "gone back" every time you feel down, but in reality, it is growth—you are "learning how to handle the lows better than before."
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🌿 3 perspectives for dealing well with mood waves
1. Rephrase "I've fallen again" to "I'm still in the process of recovering."
Just by changing your words, the way your heart accepts things will soften.
2. Don't go "searching for the cause" of your low mood.
If you think too much about the cause, your mind will get tired and your heart will sink further.
For now, prioritize "recovery over causes."
3. Focus on "what you are able to do."
Even when your mood is low, you ate, you got up, you are breathing—these are all proof that you are truly living.
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☁️ Having waves doesn't mean you are weak; it means you are alive.
On days when your mood drops, it just means your heart is saying, "I want to pause for a little while."
Don't rush; believe in the day when your condition will improve again, and for now, try to spend it as a "quiet day."
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🕊️ Today's Health Room Memo
Recovery is not a straight path.
While repeating ups and downs, you are definitely moving forward.
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✏️ Afterword
I, who am writing this, am currently in the middle of a similar wave myself.
Just when I think, "I've gotten a little better," the next day, my chest feels heavy again.
Repeating that, there are times when I don't know what to do myself.
But lately, instead of blaming myself for feeling down, I try to think, "A wave has come again."
Waves aren't something bad; they are a sign that "your heart is still moving."
They are proof that you haven't stopped.
This place (The Heart's Health Room) is a place you can stop by no matter what kind of mood you are in.
If you'd like, please leave a comment, even if it's just a few words like "I'm feeling down today" or "A wave came again."
Your voice might become a light for someone else who is swaying just like you.