By Nancy Virden (c)2026 AlwaysTheFight.com

From distress to joy is a continuum of ups and downs. Let’s pretend that between the two ends is a row of notches similar to this: Distress++++++++++++++++++++Joy. It is not a single leap that gets us from one to the other. Rather, it is a series of small steps that carry us from distress to better times.

We can discover how to take these small steps by learning coping strategies and resiliency skills. How to rethink about our circumstances, for example, can change our outlook from dour to hoping for hope.

It is important to know that we are not stuck. Life is full of struggles, and mental disorders are only part of the big picture. When we know what we are aiming for, we can take one day at a time, one notch at a time. It may look like this:

Distress/Despair++++++++Stability (hoping for hope)++++++++ Function++++++++Joy. Each notch is an effort, a day, an hour, a skill, unfolding into the next small step, one after the other. We will slip. Perhaps after a day of functioning well, we may feel despair again. This does not mean recovery is hopeless. The next time, maybe we will not fall back as far. One notch, one day at a time, is the path to mental health and peace.

I have felt at times like I will never be completely mentally healthy. Moods go up and down; it is easy to feel discouraged. However, I can look at where I was a few months ago, a few years ago, and see the progress. The more we are victorious over these little notches, the more confident we can feel.

-COMMENTS WELCOME

Today’s Helpful Word

Psalm 73:26

My health may fail, and my spirit may grow weak, but God remains the strength of my heart; he is mine forever.

If you are feeling suicidal or concerned about someone who is, in the U.S., call 988, the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline. For a list of international suicide hotlines, go here.

If you are suicidal with a plan, immediately call 911 in the U.S. or go to your nearest emergency room; in the EU, call 112. (For other international emergency numbers, go here.) Hope and help are yours!

Always the Fight Ministries (ATFM) has been displaying compassion for those fighting mental illness, addiction, or abuse since 2012. Nancy is the founder and voice of ATFM and openly shares her emotional resurrection from despair. 

NOTE: Nancy is not a doctor or a mental health professional and speaks only from personal experience and observations. This website is not intended to substitute for professional mental or behavioral health care.

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