Reality can sometimes hit hard. It’s like a literal break, hypothetically smacking you in the face. This happens when you hear that certain habits are damaging to your health. Breaking these behavior patterns takes effort. The signs that these habits are harmful are real. Recognizing that mistakes occur is crucial. To stop the cycle from repeating, you must be real and genuinely break the behavior pattern.

As they say in the movie, “you can’t handle the truth.” Sometimes that is the truth in ourselves until it is too late. I needed events to transpire. These events helped me realize that I no longer wanted to live the way I was living. While working on things, the real truths we need to see and hear don’t hit us until they are real. We are reluctant to feel or hear what truly needs to be addressed. We must be the catalyst for change.

It can even be a behavior that is discovered when we are lucid. Yet, the effects of what we did at unwell moments can catch up to us. This happens when we allow ourselves to see the damage we have done. Sometimes, it is too late, and it hits us hard. Those who care for us show us that we must do things for our overall health. This is important even if we are focusing on our mental health. They make us see that we need to take action to achieve what we truly want. They realize we hurt ourselves and urge us to do the right thing. This means breaking consuming behavior patterns found in our lives. We do not see how this damages us in ways we can’t comprehend. So, we have to change.

We have to hear the truth given to us. This is necessary to recognize it is hurting us. We must understand it is also preventing us from seeing the extent of that harm. We know we have to break the patterns that are hurting us. If we want things to change as we say, we must be the catalyst for that change. Making that change can be difficult, but it is necessary. I know for one that I can no longer pass the blame. I have to take responsibility for my mental health. Saying what is needed is not enough. I must make the changes to combat the problems that arise when caring for myself.

Yes, there are side effects, and they are hard to deal with. Yet, you must start doing the right things to avoid continuing down the unwanted path. Only by making better changes can you do what you truly want. You need to feel the hard emotions and understand what can happen if you make things right. This is necessary to change long-standing behaviors. You must see the things that can reverse the damage done. Stop fighting the battles of passing the blame.