These ‘Pathways to Hope’ Can Boost Your Mental Health

If a mental health issue were depicted as a line on a graph, it might look like a shallow, low-level wave or a sharp dip and rise with a few rollercoaster bumps scattered in between. When people who have overcome mental health problems describe their experiences, there is often a turning point when something “clicked” and they began to feel better.

In her book Small Treatments, Big Effects , clinical psychology professor and therapist Dr. Jessica Schleider writes about her research on one-time mental health interventions . After surveying and interviewing 98 people and analyzing their stories, Schleider identified five “paths to hope”—elements of mental health recovery stories that represented a turning point from struggle to health:

• Surprise yourself

• Feeling of what you saw

• See others

• Reclaiming Your Narrative

• Give back

Schleider defines these turning points as “specific, brief moments that have had a lasting impact on the mental health journey.”

“The most obvious common thread in virtually all turning points was the experience of realizing hope that change was possible where previously there had been little such hope,” Schleider wrote.

If we extrapolate a little more, a person experiencing mental health problems may find it helpful to seek out—and even actively cultivate—these “pathways to hope” to help them move out of a state of panic. If you suffer from depression, anxiety, addiction, obsessive-compulsive disorder, or other psychological problems, there are ways to try to create your own turning point on the road to recovery.

Paths of Hope

Surprise yourself

It means doing something, no matter how small, that you once thought you couldn’t do. Not only do you get a confidence boost from doing hard things, but you also get proof that thinking something is impossible is not proof that it is impossible.

• Try a skill you learned in therapy. Even if your therapist’s suggestion makes you roll your eyes, try it. Their methods are usually backed by research.

• Go out and do something that makes you nervous. As you cope in a new environment more successfully than you thought, you will learn that your anxiety is not a reliable predictor of how dangerous new situations actually are.

• Face the fear. This may look like exposure therapy with a professional or creating your own exposure experience . Exposure therapy may be helpful for anxiety, OCD, or PTSD.

Feeling of what you saw

Sharing your experiences and receiving validation from others can help lift a layer of shame or fear from your mental health struggles by feeling understood.

• Talk to people who understand. Is there someone in your life who you can count on to be a judgment-free zone? This could be a therapist, a friend, a family member, or anyone you trust. Feeling compassion and acceptance from a caring person can be the first step to feeling better.

• Not ready to share your feelings with another person? Complete a self-assessment to evaluate your experience in the diagnostic program. While these assessments are not equivalent to a diagnosis and do not replace formal mental health care, they can reassure you that you are not the only person with this experience.

• Read about the suspected condition or symptoms. Reading articles or personal accounts reminds you that you are not alone.

• Visit online forums, Facebook groups, or even Reddit threads related to your diagnosis or symptoms. Share your story at low stakes or simply read what others have experienced.

See others

The desire to be seen will inevitably lead to exploring other people who are experiencing or have recovered from feelings similar to yours.

• Look for stories that might interest you in online forums or articles. This step can come with your efforts to feel seen.

• Validate and validate others. When you come across something you might like, tell another person about it. You are part of the cycle of seeing and being seen.

• Become aware of your empathy. You may encounter stories you never thought would be useful to you, but they are. Recognize the role your own empathy plays in creating your turning point.

Reclaiming Your Narrative

Living with a mental health condition can make you feel like things are out of your control. It may seem like others know what you need, but you don’t have the freedom of choice or energy to make the choice yourself.

• Do the “next right thing.” It may be a tiny step. The key is that you decide what direction you want your life to go in and take that step.

• Be a bus driver. In Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), the bus driver metaphor means that every experience you have is a passenger boarding a bus throughout your life. If your bus is full of loud and negative passengers, you may develop a habit of quieting negative thoughts rather than setting your course. You are the driver and decide where to go.

• Explore your personality. Schleider writes about a survey respondent who experienced a turning point when he became immersed in an exploration of his personal identity and its intersections. What parts of your culture or personality have remained unexplored?

Give back

Support from others who have similar experiences can empower you to continue to make progress in your own recovery.

• Share your story publicly. Just like seeing others and being seen, sharing your story adds a cycle of validation. If you feel comfortable sharing your experience with more than one person, consider sharing it on a larger scale. Speak in a group session or write on a blog.

• Engage in support of colleagues . Think about communities or places where you have received support and consider how you can contribute in a formal or informal way. Working in a community where you feel understood and supported increases your motivation to work towards your health.

Be on the lookout for meaningful moments.

The power of a turning point is only fully realized when you notice it happening (or create meaning by reflecting on it later). One of Schleider’s interview subjects (quoted in “Small Treatments, Big Effects “) noted this: “I think they are probably there, but it will take a certain level of attention to see them and respond to them in a way that will have an impact.” “, they said. “I imagine a real turn in the road: if you’re not paying attention, you might just keep going, but if you’re looking for it, you might see the turn and go in a different direction. So some of that may be showing up and paying attention.”

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