Not Thriving?

We are all daily somewhere along the mental health spectrum.  I assume that nobody is in a perfect mental health condition; in fact, only a tiny minority would always declare that they are thriving.  With constant bombardment of social media, the contradictory messages about who we are and who we should be confuse us. This, I believe, has moved the median marker further away from healthy.  It would be advantageous to find another means to determine how we can best maneuver through a complex web of society, battling the norms and finding how to be comfortable and best leverage our strengths.

Community is a great defense against negative messages.  Seek community belonging. A strong communal culture can push back against pressure from technologies to shape humans in anti-human ways.

There is a Mental Health Continuum Model with four ranges with strong mental health or thriving at what we could call the left end and mental illness or crisis at the right end.

My theory is that if one is within the middle two ranges, surviving or struggling, on any given day or hour they could move closer to one of the theoretically defined range boundaries in either direction.  Reliance on our community will nearly always move us further left, in at least a temporary transition from one stage to the adjacent one.

So, how are each of these ranges described?

The Thriving stage is characterized by positive mental well-being and overall satisfaction and fulfillment in life. People solidly in this stage typically experience highly positive emotions, such as joy, gratitude, and love, and have a strong sense of purpose and meaning in life.  They have a strong ability to navigate the white waters of life using skills and resourcefulness, which builds self-esteem and a feeling of well-being.

The removal of those strong positive experiences, even temporarily, can push one closer or into the surviving range.

The adding in of joy, gratitude, and/or love, and especially the strong sense of purpose, can bring someone from the surviving range behavior towards that of thriving.

A state of relative stability characterizes the Surviving stage, but with some mild mental fatigue or distress symptoms. People in this stage may experience occasional sadness, anxiety, or stress, but they can generally cope with these feelings and maintain a sense of equilibrium.  As factors can move the needle towards thriving, it is equally possible to have difficulties pushing them towards struggling.  Ever ask someone how they are doing, and they answer, “I’m surviving.” Delivered with a frown, it may indicate that they are on the cusp of struggling.

They are recognizing, however, that they have some degree of resilience.

The struggling stage is characterized by more significant distress symptoms, such as depression, anxiety, or burnout. People in this stage may find it difficult to manage their emotions and may experience challenges in their personal and professional lives.  As those challenges are successfully met, a sense of satisfaction indicates a greater sense of survival success.  However, if life’s difficulties become overwhelming, then the individual moves into crisis.  During the time of the COVID-19 pandemic, many people found themselves battling in this mode.

Acute mental health trauma, including suicidal ideation, severe anxiety or depression, or psychosis, characterizes the Crisis stage. This stage requires immediate intervention and support to address mental health needs and prevent further harm. 

If you know someone in crisis, please direct them to get help.

No matter what stage you see yourself on this spectrum, realize that you can move to the left.  Help is always beneficial.

  Identify your community and dive into it!