Many people struggle with mental health issues. If you’re one of them, you certainly aren’t alone, although you probably often feel as though you are.

Everyone’s mental health struggles are unique, however, there are shared characteristics. People begin by trying to treat or manage their condition on their own. Most find themselves reaching a point where they feel like their disorder is controlling their lives.  

Perhaps you struggle to get through the day, have lost important relationships, missed work or school, or have isolated yourself. Maybe you’ve had suicidal thoughts or ideations. Or maybe you feel like no one else understands what you’re going through.

Mental health disorders are real, and they’re inextricably linked to your overall physical health. And just as with a diagnosis of cancer or some other illness, you need the help of professionals to treat it. Whether you choose outpatient or inpatient mental health rehab, it can help you get back to living your best life. Here’s how:

One of the major ways mental health rehab can help you is by providing a safe space for treatment. Especially in an inpatient setting, you are shielded from the distractions of the outside world. And that allows you to focus on learning how to manage your condition.

Part of that safe space will be the people involved in your treatment. Physicians, therapists, and other health care professionals will be singularly focused on you most of the time. Even if you participate in a group setting, they will still have your back.

When you participate in mental health rehab, you can leave everything at the door except confronting your issues. Whether that’s for an hour or two at a time or for an extended period, you’ll have the time and space you need to get better.

One of the best weapons to arm yourself with for living your life while managing a mental health disorder is knowledge. Knowledge is indeed power. In this case, it can give you power over your life again.

Mental health rehab can provide the educational opportunity you need to learn about your disorder. You’ll learn why you experience certain symptoms. You’ll also learn how medications and other treatments may help you manage them.

You may never know exactly what caused your disorder. But you will learn about all the possible causes and potential treatments and interventions. Rehab can restore some power at a time when you feel powerless.

Part of living your best life with a mental health disorder means having the skills you need to cope with it. Coping skills help you manage situations that are positive as well as those that have a negative impact. Rehab can equip you with skills to help you solve problems and handle your emotions.

Learning how to avoid situations that could cause mental health stress is a problem-solving skill. You can anticipate triggers before they arise and steer clear of them. And emotional coping skills help you deal with fallout in situations where the problem is unavoidable.

Rehab can also teach you critical life skills, including decision-making, creative and critical thinking, communication, empathy, and self-awareness. As you live your life, these are the skills you’ll need to thrive despite your disorder.

Two common symptoms accompanying mental health disorders are depression and anxiety. Both put a tremendous amount of strain on personal relationships. The positive aspects of relationships are overshadowed by negativity that encroaches upon them again and again.

What you learn in mental health rehab will help you see the world and your disorder differently. Once you do, you can reach out to loved ones and begin repairing the damage done when you weren’t managing it.

Mental health rehab can help you trust yourself again, which means you can ask others to return that trust. In many cases, this will involve asking many people in your life for forgiveness. But that’s the first step toward rebuilding long-lasting and satisfying relationships.

Mental health disorders often lead to social isolation. In turn, social isolation often leads to mental health issues. Mental health disorders often lead to serious physical health issues, such as increased risk of stroke, dementia, and heart disease. Mental rehab can help the devastating outcomes of social isolation.

Psychotherapy and counseling during rehab will help you get to the root of the reasons why you isolate yourself. Participating in group therapy with peers who have similar mental health conditions and experiences is a social activity in many ways. This group can nudge you back into being social.

Remember, rehab will help you learn how to manage your mental health disorder and learn coping and life skills. That knowledge will prepare you to return to social settings and end your desire to isolate yourself.

Mental health rehab isn’t easy. But it can offer you an opportunity to acquire the knowledge and skills you need to return to a “normal” existence. It can help you discover hope for living the life you want to lead instead of letting your disorder lead you. It’s a new day.