Your Path to Balance: How to Find Support During Difficult Times

Let’s start by talking about how much the world has changed. These days, it’s practically impossible to say there isn’t a psychologist nearby. Objectively speaking, they’re always nearby. They’re available online and offline, and psychological support services in various languages are still operating. And if you look even a little bit, it’s quite possible that you’ll find one. At the very least, you can definitely find some kind of free crisis support and get at least 3–4 counseling sessions.

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But people often say that this short-term crisis assistance isn’t enough for them. What should be done in that case? I’ll suggest a very simple method that practically anyone can use. New technologies may not be accessible to everyone, but Google is something most of us are familiar with and know how to use. Google now has access to artificial intelligence and provides you with plenty of advice in response to even the simplest search query. In response to any query, Google tells us how to act and what steps we can take to help ourselves. Of course, if you’ve experienced acute trauma, if you’re having distressing thoughts, or if you feel unbearably bad, you need to find a crisis counselor—online or, better yet, in person—and reach out to them. But if you’re experiencing mild anxiety, or if you’re feeling sad but aren’t yet suffering from severe depression, you can try working with artificial intelligence—through ChatGPT, or ultimately through Google itself.

Artificial intelligence systems generally suggest appropriate solutions, with rare exceptions. For the most part, they are trained to help; they analyze your situation, compare it to similar cases, and suggest a plan of action so you know what steps to take next.

My second piece of advice is to keep moving forward. If you’re going through some kind of crisis, you’re probably feeling isolated, not talking to anyone, stuck in your own little world, and not going out anywhere. I don’t want to suggest any drastic measures, like exercise, but I highly recommend trying to change your surroundings. At the very least, go outside. You don’t have to walk for a long time, although that works great. It’s one of the most effective ways to get moving, and it can help you cope with even severe depression—if you can manage to get up and go. In fact, the first sign that you’re coming out of severe depression is precisely when you get up and go.

Let's say you love coffee. Find a nice coffee shop—just not one right near your home. Choose a distance you can cover without too much effort. Walk there, sit down, enjoy that delicious coffee, let yourself relax and unwind, look around, and watch the people. Don’t get lost in your gadgets; try to keep your focus on the outside world for at least a little while—for example, by looking at the walls of the café; if it’s on the street, look at the surrounding nature, the houses, the trees, and observe the people. Try shifting your attention from the usual to the unusual.

Here’s another way to be your own therapist: remember that everything bad is temporary. If you can’t find a therapist right now, chances are you’ll be able to find one in time. Try simply sitting down and making a rough plan for yourself of what you’d discuss with a therapist. How can you do this? Of course, it’s sometimes hard to just write things down or just think things through. But you can use some art therapy techniques. For example, try drawing your current mood. You can draw using spots, lines, or brushstrokes. You can simply draw whatever comes to mind. A park, trees, little houses, bunnies, or something else. Then set the drawing aside for a while, look at it with fresh eyes, and ask yourself, “What’s drawn here?” What is this little bunny? Is it my liveliness? Is it my need to hide? Or is it my desire to dart off somewhere? Look at each object this way. Think about what this picture says about your mood and your state of mind. Then set the picture aside again, come back to it, and add the details it’s missing. Psychologists call this a “resource,” but since we don’t have a psychologist here, we’ll create our own resources. Think about what, for example, would help this little bunny hop out onto a meadow that appeals to it. Well, maybe a stump or some other kind of incentive would help. Maybe there’s a carrot lying around there. And if you manage to find something, it will serve as a clue for you; you’ll be able to understand what’s happening to you and roughly which direction to move in.

Here’s another life hack: it’s both very simple and very complicated. It involves talking to people—not necessarily friends. People are all different. Some will listen to all your troubles and offer sympathy. But you can’t always find people like that nearby or readily available. But there are other people who can listen to at least some of it. For example, there are people who’ve been separated from their families because of a move, just like you, and they’re willing to listen to you talk about exactly that. And there are people you can just hang out with, like at a café or a bar. And there are those you can go somewhere with to relax. People and communication are great. They help you take your mind off things, shift your focus, and look at the problem from a slightly different perspective.

Another way is to try looking at your life as a journey from point A to point B, with a stop where you are right now. It has a beginning, a middle, and an end. You can even draw a line on a piece of paper and mark where you are. Then go back to the beginning and see what was there. From that point to the one you’ve reached now. And after that, you’ll surely see the stretch that lies ahead. After all, there’s something in that stretch, too. For migrants, for example, or for people in crisis, this “something” is often associated with uncertainty. But if you see a void there, try to remember what was at that point when you weren’t in crisis. Most likely, there were plans, dreams, and ambitions there that are probably now shattered or impossible to realize. But what do you still have? You still have your values, your hopes, your faith, the things you love, the things you know, the experience you’ve already gained, the education you’ve already acquired, and the skills you’ve developed. All of that is still with you. And if you take a moment to turn to them and believe that they can still work, you’ll feel just a little bit better.

It’s likely that, as your journey comes to an end, you’ll need to see a psychologist—or at least come up with a plan for how to afford one or how to find one. I’m sure you can find a psychologist who speaks your language in practically every country. There are migrant chat groups, chat groups for LGBTQ+ organizations, and other resources available for this purpose. And practically every country has a crisis hotline that offers assistance in English. If you speak English, don’t hesitate to reach out. You’ll definitely be able to communicate and find a way to get the help you need.