Published on
Updated
Reading 3 min.
in collaboration with
Johanna Rozenblum (clinical psychologist)
You have been going through a difficult time. But can you recognize the signs of improvement in your mental health? Certain events and ways of seeing everyday life indicate that you are on the right path. Here are the ones.
We talk about mental health a lot, but often on the negative side, when it is weakened and in decline. Fewer are the topics around mental health which is doing well or which is getting better. However, determining real signs of improvement is essential to move forward. According to American psychologist Jim Taylor, “spotting the signs of positive life change can be essential in a self-improvement journey: these elements validate the efforts made.. This is why it seemed wise to compile for Psychology Todaythe signs of better mental health.
5 signs that indicate a better version of yourself
According to him, there are 5 signs that you are regaining rather positive mental health.
- Your thinking shifts towards the positive : You notice a difference in the quality and quantity of your thinking. Your thoughts are more positive and encouraging, the glass is now half full. Your mind is also clearer, you ruminate less.
- Your emotions are more joyful : Improving mental health is also seen through the emotions experienced. Were you held by sadness, fear, shame? Now you feel contentment, even joy.
- Your mind is more relaxed. A person who is feeling better will also move from a state of stress and anxiety to a more relaxed, calmer physical state. Breathing is deeper, muscles more relaxed, and heart rate lower.
- Your body language evolves. When you are going through a bad moment, it is not uncommon for your body to be closed, your back sometimes hunched. Ahead of a more positive period, body language awakens: you can now smile more easily, look people in the eyes, and be more relaxed.
- You are more open to others. Finally, the American expert mentions the relationship with others in 3 different points. Not only are the messages you send to others more welcoming, warmer and less defensive, but others also respond more to you because the messages you send are different. When you feel better, you also see others confiding in you more. This is a sign that you have left the dark zone!
The signals invert but do not necessarily make noise
We submitted these different signs to Johanna Rozenblum, clinical psychologist and member of our committee of experts. These make sense to our expert: “In fact, when we feel better, all the signals of unhappiness are reversed. The withdrawal into oneself, for example, characteristic of unhappiness, is gradually transformed, we appreciate more and more the fact of socializing, it is a very good sign” she mentions.
The signs of a recovery in mental health mentioned, however, are not complete according to her:
“We can also talk more concretely, about the ability to get up in the morning for example, and suddenly look forward to one’s day in a positive way, to finally be able to project oneself into the future, to feel enthusiasm again in one’s daily for small things…”
The body can also say a lot. Thus, that of a person who is better no longer somatizes, it becomes discreet. Vital functions, such as hygiene, diet and sleep, are also regulated.
Finally, for our expert, there is a big sign that allows you to assess your mental health, it’s the way we manage to rebalance our own emotions: “When going through a difficult event, even a minor one like a disappointment, a person whose mental health is declining will take time to recover. But when we are better, we can cope with this type of event much more easily. We realize that we have the resources to deal with it and move on.”
If you recognize yourself in all of these signs, or in a few of them, hang in there, you are on the right track.