Psychological dysfunction can always be traced to abuse. If you are depressed, if you are OCD, if you have anxiety attacks, it is probably because you have been, or are being, emotionally, psychologically, or physically abused. The first step towards healing is to stop the abuse. Here is a song by Taylor Swift to help solidify that truth for you.

Here is a song about toxic relationships and developing the will and fortitude to say, enough is enough. Assert boundaries, expect to be treated nice, and say I’m worth the concern and the care. It is something that has to be done. You cannot heal psychological trauma, you cannot emerge from neurosis or psychosis, you cannot have healthy intimate relationships while you are still embedded in the toxic gunk of your “normal” life.

Drug and alchohol rehab and therapy. Two books that I have recently read deserve attention today. One is My Way Out and the other is The Cure for Alcoholism. Both are great books and both detail a pharmacological cure for alcoholism. I know that if you are someone who suffers from alcoholism or some other form of addiction, you’ll be skeptical at the whole notion of cure. For decades Alcoholics Anonymous has been advising there is no cure while preaching a powerful abstinence that just doesn’t seem to work for most people unless it is reinforced by constant monitoring and control. Traditional pharmacological therapies have been equally ineffective, helping a few but leaving most out in the cold. Needless to say this is not a hopeful state of affairs.

Mental health and happiness are elusive things, especially in a consumer world where there’s always one more thing that we need to get to be happy. Like hamsters we scramble on a treadmill desperate to get our piece of the pie, but we can never have enough. The climb is endless, unless of course you choose to unplug and step off. Something to consider, there’s always somebody who has more, and there’s always higher to climb. So, if comparing yourself to your neighbors is how you try and achieve happiness, good luck with that.

Feeling good about things isn’t just about emotions or relationships, it is also about food and chemicals. As surprising as it might seem to you, what you put into your body effects your mind. Vitamins, minerals, preservatives, and chemicals all effect the sensitive structures of your body! If you doubt the importance of nutrition to mental health, consider alcohol. Even as little as two ounces of strong booze can impact your emotional responses! Something to consider on the road to mental health.