Mental Health Is Not An End Unto Itself. Learning Is.

In Greek Mythology, Narcissus was a handsome youth who rejected Echo, the Nymph. As punishment, he was made to fall in love with his own reflection. He stared at himself in a pond until he died. 

Guys, mental health is important. Vital, even. But it isn’t an end unto itself. We are not meant to isolate and insulate and protect ourselves to the point of never feeling the impact of social interaction. Even the negative impacts. There is wisdom and responsibility in how we protect ourselves. It is never a simple, selfish act. Protection comes from Love and Light.  

Pain is how we grow. It’s a fact of life. Whether physically, spiritually, emotionally, or intellectually. Pain makes us move beyond our discomfort. That is learning. That is growing. 

If we do not move beyond our discomfort, we don’t learn, and we don’t grow. Coping skills are not meant to shield us from reality or from pain. They are meant to help us experience those things in normal measure while helping us learn to support and protect ourselves from harm. Harm and normal growing pain or discomfort are two very different things. Reality is a messy affair. Don’t get it twisted. 

It’s not about “Look What Happened To Me!”. It’s about “What Am I Supposed To Learn?”. Always.

One looks inward, and sinks into itself. The other looks upward, always open to lessons and opportunities to learn and grow and elevate. Mental health is not an end unto itself. Learning is.