I recently saw a video of a woman walking down a hospital hallway. Doctors, nurses, and people cheered as she approached a bell, ringing it to celebrate her remission from cancer. While her recovery deserves applause, I couldn’t help but notice the contrasting celebrations for remission from conditions affecting mental health.
Despite affecting more people than cancer, mental health isn’t treated like physical health. Stigma still surrounds it, and many struggle to recognize its importance. So celebrating remission from mental health conditions is something that people in remission largely do alone.
A reason for the lack of celebration is simply that people do not know what mental health remission is, or that it is something they can aim for. I didn’t know it was possible until my therapist told me I was in remission a few years ago.
C-PTSD, depression and anxiety remission
I went to therapy for years, combining it with research and experimentation I was doing on my own. Since misdiagnosis is common, I asked my therapist that we not focus on diagnosis and labels, though it was clear I had c-PTSD, depression, and anxiety.
With my efforts I had successfully cured my PTSD nightmares, flashbacks and a lot of my triggers.
Then one day, I saw a Reddit thread with members of a PTSD support group discussing their c-PTSD symptoms. I felt sad and like I did not belong. What once called to me, and I connected with, now I could not relate to.
Instead of working to cope with symptoms like people were talking about in the thread, I was focused on managing feelings of happiness and working to build connections and healthy relationships.
When I saw my therapist I described how I felt seeing that Reddit thread. I told her it could be best described as if I was an imposter. I could no longer relate to people with depression and c-PTSD who were discussing their symptoms and I asked her what that meant?
She smiled and said it meant I was in remission.
Despite years of reading and research on mental wellness, I had never heard of the concept of remission. I had to ask my therapist what it was.
What mental health remission is
Remission from mental health conditions means that symptoms no longer affect you and you would no longer be diagnosed with that condition. And while I was excited to learn what remission was (and that I had achieved it), I couldn’t help but wonder why it wasn’t presented as the ultimate goal from the beginning.
When I first started therapy, I suffered from night terrors that impacted my ability to function during the day. Flashbacks, anxiety attacks, and other symptoms took a toll on my life leaving me exhausted and upset.
I gradually overcame these symptoms as I learned to manage my thoughts and gain emotional control. This gave me the space to respond to situations rather than react out of exhaustion and frustration.
It would have been helpful to understand that I could go into remission from the conditions that were causing the exhaustion. Had I know remission was a thing, I would have actively worked towards it, and having a destination would have made my journey back to myself a whole lot easier.
What mental health remission is like
Just like with managing mental health conditions, remission can feel lonely. There are no celebratory crowds, no bells to ring. When I excitedly share news of my remission, the response is often blank. Most people simply don’t understand what I’m celebrating. I’ve learned to use different language, saying I “overcame” or “healed.”
Remission means a return to normal levels of functioning, but as a victim of abuse since childhood, depression, anxiety and c-PTSD were always my levels of functioning.
There is not much literature to guide people through remission so I am creating it on my own.
Remission is unexpected in a lot of ways. Initially, I thought it meant managing my thoughts to avoid depressive states. Boy, was I wrong. For me, remission means managing extreme feelings of happiness. Instead of worrying about falling into depression, now I worry about being too nice and agreeing to do things when I am in such a happy state…like agreeing to help someone move and later regretting it.
Remission also means allowing happiness in. After years of fighting, I’m accustomed to intensity and struggle. Now, life in remission feels anticlimactic. I simply go about my days, pursuing my goals and finding joy in the process. When people try to start drama, it just doesn’t hit like it used to. Recently, a guy asked me out, ghosted, then reappeared. Instead of writing a wall of text, I simply let that ghost stay dead.
Previously, moments of happiness were rare, so I didn’t bother managing them. Now that they’re more frequent, I have to work to normalize happiness so that it doesn’t become overwhelming.
When I was depressed, I would think, “this is it?” with a sense of dread and meaninglessness. Now, I think the same phrase with a different feeling—the discomfort of knowing that happiness and contentment lie ahead. It’s a new reality I’m adjusting to, where life is calmer, and happiness is the norm.
Why I am leaning away from discussing mental health remission
When I first started writing Thoughtbooks, a series of books to help people manage and control their thoughts so they can improve their mental health, an investor told me he would love to invest even though he thinks he’ll lose money.
I asked why. He said it is a cause close to his heart, but he thinks Thoughtbooks are ahead of their time. People are just getting on board with the idea that mental health matters, I am giving them the way to better mental health but they aren’t ready for that yet.
Though disheartening, I realize the importance of meeting people where they are. Just as I had to and constantly work to meet myself where I am. So, for now, I’m flirting with the idea of keeping my remission mostly to myself and simply telling people I’m “healed.”
Would you like to know more about remission or does healing resonate more with you?
Please let me know your thoughts in the comments!
About the author
Hi! I’m Lyndsey, creator of The Thought Method Company. I love explaining complex topics in an accessible way so you can improve your thoughts. If you want to know about a particular topic, let me know in the comments. Feedback, likes, shares and comments are greatly appreciated.
Sign up to learn about new articles and insights
Overthink introduction
Open a new tab and paste this link to access the introduction of Overthink: https://thoughtmethod.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/OVERTHINK_Introduction.pdf You’ll learn: – If you have an overthinking mindset – The root causes of overthinking – Why current methods are keeping you stuck – How to *actually* stop overthinking – How I stopped my overthinking and got here. If you have any questions use the contact form and send me a message. Enjoy! Lyndsey