You and I are a lot like Harrison Ford’s character in that famous scene from Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade. Jones, an archaeologist, makes his way through a cavernous labyrinth when he arrives at the edge of an abrupt cliff.

Quickly he deciphers some ancient hieroglyphics to discover that before him is the ultimate “leap of faith.” He must take a step into the chasm before a bridge will appear. Will he do it? Watch this.

The Chasm

I think of the chasm as a metaphor for mental health conditions. I’ve come to believe we all struggle with at least one, be it

• anxiety
• depression
• addiction
• an anger issue
• eating disorder
• autism
• seasonal affective disorder
• post-traumatic stress disorder
• a phobia or multiple phobias
• substance abuse
• narcissism disorder
• hoarding disorder
• obsessive compulsive disorder
• attention deficit disorder
• what have you

A common way to define a mental health condition is any state “whereby a person’s mental, emotional, psychological health is impaired or not functioning in the person’s best interests.” Can we own up to the fact that we regularly get in our own way? Essentially if you have a “thing” (or multiple “things”) that hold you back, you qualify!

And if you can’t identify with any particular condition, at least you can acknowledge the gap that exists between perfect health and all of us.

That gap is the chasm we all face. In other words, mental health conditions are part of the human condition.

The Bridge

How do we get across? What do we do with these “things” that get in our way? Four practices have been effective in my life and the lives of those I know.

Do your art. Here, art can mean anything from writing to running, from starting a business to designing a landscape, from making a soufflé to perfecting your Downward-Facing Dog. Your art is the thing you do that (1) requires effort, (2) is at times challenging, and (3) is at other times absolutely exhilarating.  (I wrote a little book on how to do your art, but the indispensable classic on the topic is Steven Pressfield’s The War of Art.)

Engage with a community. If we’re going to cross the chasm, we need to be connected with really good friends—people who know us and support us and want to see us succeed. People who are in our corner. Listen, if you’re not connected to this kind of community, consider starting one. I wrote a couple posts on this: why we all need a community and how you can start one.

Pray or meditate. This one is so countercultural I might as well be asking you to walk naked in the grocery store, though honestly at times that seems less countercultural than praying. I struggle with this myself, but science is really clear that any time you spend in quietness and reflection will prolong your life and make you happier and healthier. I try to read Touchstones, a devotional for alcoholics, every morning. I’m not an alcoholic, but the wisdom in these brief readings is universal.

Make an appointment with a professional counselor. “All may do so, none must do so, some should do so.” This is how Anglicans talk about whether they should confess sins to a priest, but it works for whether a person should see a counselor too. Obviously seeing a therapist costs money, but if you’re thinking about it, here’s a little tip: A lot of therapists will do an initial consult for free. I’ve been seeing my therapist, Al, for years, and our sessions have been enormously productive in my life.

Inner Genius

A while back my therapist told me a story about a fellow therapist.

He noticed how she did life. She had a nicely decorated office. She regularly went out for lunch with friends. When she ate in the office lounge, it was always a healthy lunch. He often saw her reading a book in the morning.

One day when they were both eating lunch in the lounge, he got up the nerve to say something about it. He said he noticed how intentional she seemed to be, how rich her life was. He gave examples of what he admired.

“Well, I’m an alcoholic,” she said. He did not see that coming.

“You’re what?”

“I’m an alcoholic. I’ve been sober for many years, but I have to do these things to make my life so rich I won’t go back to the bottle. I could die if I don’t.”

If we deal with mental health conditions healthily and holistically, if we don’t ignore them, if we confront them honestly and with care, they can lead us to our inner genius.

It is by living through and beyond these conditions that we discover who we really are, who we were made to be. Mental health conditions can be like a lid that holds in the best of who we are. As we walk with and through our conditions, we begin to lift the lid.

This is rarely a “once and done” deal. Bestselling author and much adored spiritual sage Brennan Manning appears to have fought with alcoholism to the very end. Temple Grandin travels the world and speaks to large crowds about her autism despite oppressive social phobias. Rising recording artist Macklemore recently said that even now, sober for years and at the top of his game, he’s worried about sliding back into drug abuse and depression.

We’re probably never completely free of these conditions and their related self-limiting beliefs. But as we walk a path of recovery and healing, we unleash ourselves to make profound contributions to the world.

I challenge you to pause and comment with your answer to this question: Which of the above four practices needs your attention the most right now?

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