It’s Okay To Fall Down, but Then Get Back Up
Don't stay laying in the parking lot
Hi there!
Imagine this afternoon you start craving rocky road ice cream.
You decide to run to the store to buy some. Right near the entrance to the store, your mind distracted by thoughts of creamy goodness, you trip and fall to the ground. How long would you stay there?
It seems silly to think about staying on the ground very long unless you were seriously hurt. Most of you would jump up, dust yourself off, and return to your ice cream mission.
Yet, with coping with mental illness, many choose to stay on the ground.
“Falling down is part of life. Getting back up is living.”
- Jose N. Harris
Scott Ninneman also publishes the All Things Bipolar Newsletter (off Substack) The Sunday email features the newest content about bipolar life.
Coping with mental illness
Mental illness can be incredibly isolating.
When you’re struggling, it’s hard to see a way out or imagine a future where things could be different. In the middle of a mental health crisis, it feels like you’re stuck in quicksand. No matter how much you struggle, you can’t get free.
On those days, you can’t help but stay on the ground.
But just like with physical injuries, mental illness is something that you can recover from. It might take time and lots of effort, but it is possible to get better.
Take time to heal
Similar to a broken bone, you have to give yourself time to heal.
Be patient and kind to yourself, and if you need to, stay on the ground for a while. Just be careful not to grow roots there.
The first step is always the hardest, but it’s also the most important. It’s time to get up off the ground and start living again. Take a shower, get dressed, and go visit a loved one.
It also helps to go for a walk outside and enjoy the fresh air. Do something, anything, to take that first step. Get up and live again.
Mental illness doesn’t have to define you or your life. So get up, dust yourself off, and keep moving forward.
Remember, falling down is part of life, but getting back up is living.
Journal Prompt: What’s an area where you are stuck right now? What step can you take today to move forward?
Creative Writing Prompt: A couple meet for the first time when one of them trips in public. Describe the scene and what happens next.
Until next time, keep fighting.
Scott Ninneman
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