Why Mental Health Is More Important Than You Think

You already know how important mental health is for a fulfilling life. Unfortunately, staying well is a challenge — an estimated 31.1% of U.S. adults experience any anxiety disorder at some time in their lives. 

It takes a lot of work to achieve peace and harmony, and no amount of progress is permanent. A single bad trigger, such as meeting an ex or remembering a painful memory, can send a person spiraling back into their worst. 

One of our customers, Emily, confirms, “I felt so safe and cozy working with my advisor. It was so liberating to feel seen and the progress felt euphoric. Later, that one phone call I should’ve ignored sent me back. The idea to just quit and resort to safe old habits became very attractive.” 

Emily’s sentiment isn’t an exception. According to the therapy dropout research, premature therapy dropout rate can be as high as 50% with the average settling at 25%. 

The question is, how do you stay on the right path and not fall back into old, painful patterns? First, you need to understand the reasons. People can quit early due to a triggering event, lack of follow-through, and false ideas about what real progress looks like. 

The Illusion of Breakthroughs

Consistent effort is tough, especially when the progress isn’t immediately visible. We cherish and remember sudden success much more than steady progress. It’s not strange as a breakthrough makes for a great story. 

In truth, a “sudden” success is a myth.  

When a breakthrough happens, it’s a result of past effort. For example, this Nature journal research showed that the “hot streak” in people's careers rested on the foundation of past, less flashy, work. A tree falls after the final swing of the axe, but it takes many more swings to get to that point.

Emily, reflecting on the lowest point in her journey, said, “I felt really tired. What helped me was a compliment from a friend after I got a message from my ex. I remembered the advice and managed to not get dragged down into that mess again. I realized I would’ve done so much worse just a month ago. I was proud.”

This event put things into perspective for her, and she decided to take that next step and continue her journey. In Emily’s words, “Life happens, and having this support in case of triggering events – which happened more times than I care to admit – gave me the stability and confidence I craved.”

Unfortunately, not everyone gets a handy compliment from a friend at just the right moment. Often, we have to rely on self-reflection and trusty stubbornness to continue in the right direction. 

The Need for Trusty Stubbornness

Progress isn’t exponential and isn’t linear. There are often slight ascends followed by plateaus when it comes down to steadily swinging your axe at a particularly thick tree.

People who can ride this uneven path and stick to the journey no matter what are usually the ones achieving success. 

It’s especially true for any self-development quest, be it therapy or advisory readings. It’s a complex process that involves a few important stages:  

• First, you communicate what pains you. 
• Second, you start digging to find the underlying issues. 
• Third, you try different approaches and insights to find what helps you best. 
• Finally, you take what works and implement it into various aspects of your life.

The cycle continues until you feel satisfied with who you’ve become. It’s supported by the fact that our customers who, on average, had more than a single reading a week, reported lower anxiety and higher life satisfaction.  

The Power of a Schedule

It took quite a few days to build Rome. As Emily put it, “I remember myself at the beginning. Anxious, unsure, confused, even. And now, I almost don’t recognize this strong woman,” She laughs. “It took a lot of work to get here, but I wouldn’t change a minute of it.”

At the time, a regular schedule of consultations helped Emily stay on track. She described it as a “key decision” that made her progress immune to the changing mood and random triggers. 

Our data supports Emily’s decision too. People who have regular and well-structured consultations report 

• Better connection with the advisor
• Deeper levels of self-awareness
• Desired long-term success

So, if we wanted you to take to heart a single idea from this article, it’d be this one:

Consistency beats intensity, and consistency beats luck 99,99% of the time. 

Sometimes, it may feel too hard to continue, but the good news is, you just need to take that next step as Emily did. 

It’s beautifully simple – when you feel stuck and unsure, the best remedy is to try again. And if you have any doubts, questions, or issues, you can contact your personal manager, and they will help you.