My job offers a lot of opportunities for career and personal development. Right now, I’m taking a mini course on potential. The first week, we talked about energy and emotional potential. I want to focus on emotional potential.
I’ve talked previously about emotional intelligence (Emotional Intelligence by Daniel Coleman is a great read) and during the meeting we talking about attributes of emotionally strong people. Understanding what you can control, self-awareness of emotional responses, and prioritizing what strengthens you.
One aspect of mental illness is perception. How we perceive ourselves, others, and situations. The perception creates a response/behavior. As I struggle with anxiety, I will sometimes overthink situations or perceive them in a unrealistic view. I used to call my anxiety the plague because once it’s unleashed, it will spread to other aspects of my life. I gave power to something that possibly could never exist.
Being emotionally strong isn’t a natural attribute of mine, so I will have my good days and bad days. This is why I have to stay aware of what and who I give my power to.
Mental Illness Taught Me 