One day soon, if not already, the need to take a Mental Health Gap Year is something that every family, student, teacher and therapist should discuss. The benefit of getting yourself physically, emotionally, psychologically and spiritually prepared to conquer the world is vital today. The way we start is half of the job of finding success in career, relationships and general emotional welling and happiness.
A GAP YEAR MENTAL HEALTH BREAK CAN BE A SEMESTER, 4-12 WEEKS OR ANYWHERE IN BETWEEN. THE IMPORTANT BIT IS THAT YOU DO THE WORK, ESPECIALLY IF YOU NEED TO HEAL EMOTIONALLY OR PSYCHOLOGICALLY.
Youth and adolescents who have not been helped with the necessary tools to cope with issues like ADHD, behavioural problems and addictions or the management of stress, depression and anxiety are far more likely to waste a lot more time and money heading straight for the gates, rather than ‘being prepared’ as the scouts used to say. Parents tend to push their teenagers and adolescents with the mentality of ‘just pull your socks up’ or ‘get over it like I did when I was your age’ not realising that the world has changed, and so has the way we need to be educated, self regulated and ready for the competitive world.
Having to pick up the shattered pieces of our confidence later on makes little sense when instead we can help youth and adolescents climb ladders instead of help them recover when they inevitably fall off them later on.
Mark L Lockwood – Founder Paradigm Process for teens and CHALT
What is a mental health gap year?
A mental health gap year, also known as a therapeutic gap year, is a period of time when young adults can focus on their mental health, mindset, their physical bodies, psychological and emotional well-being. Necessarily so. It may also be the best investment of time one can make in themselves. American and European cultures have unfortunately lost the universal tradition of initiation, and there are now few true elders to lead us onward.
So what’s it like on a retreat for working on yourself? Well, awesome really and you get to meet people from all over the world. You participate in wilderness programs and volunteer work if you like. You hot the hiking trails, gym and also learn how to play golf, drive cars and boats and do some James Bond styled things that you can keep in the bag.
The wilderness, animals such as Lion, Leopard, Cheetah and everything in between are on one side, while whales and dolphins are on the other. At our healing mecca we love adventure and the outdoors which are the perfect retreat after therapy and hard work on yourself. Non-punitive, totally individualised, make your own plans and programs to complement your work with us. If it’s not a completely exhilarating life experience that you take personal accountability for then, we’re not doing our retreats right.
Benefits of a therapeutic or mental health gap year?
- Getting away from people, places and things and going on an adventure of growth on your own is an important step
- Rites of passage, a Kibbutz retreat, an initiation ceremony or simply time out in the wilderness has always preceded generations of successful people. Having a mindset developed through a lived experience like a mental health gap year can be the foundation of change that everything else can be built in.
- Having emotional regulation tools that you have learned in a therapeutic gap year experience is prevention in action rather than cure. This is key to the entire idea of mental and emotional preparedness in advance, rather than hoping you learn it on the trot.
- Boost motivation, confidence, develop a strong sense of identity and learn self reliance. Learn why calm is a superpower and learn how to overcome challenges yourself with an improved perspective on life and a well equipped brain that manages your body well. Yep, thats’s why you should take a Mental Health Gap Year for a few weeks or months even. All that matters is that you start. Our regular program for example is suggested at 90 days or so, which is a 12 week program.
if a student graduated from high school with untreated behavioural health challenges, things will only get more challenging once they get to college.
Psychology Today
Who needs a therapeutic gap year the most?
- Anyone who has suffered trauma in the past will know if they have some work to do on their recovery.
- Adolescents with ADHD, Borderline personality disorder (BPD), Behavioural or process addictions, OCD should definitely consider some time at a gap retreat like our Mastery University program at our wellness Center for Healing & Life Transformation. You work with psychologists, therapists, social coaches and life coaches and walk away with a solid 10 step program that you can use for life to self regulate body, heart and mind. Self-harm, suicidal thoughts, depression and the like need to be managed, with tools provided, to create a successful future outcome.
- People with a relatively new diagnosis, new medications, or where your mental health is not currently being managed sufficiently. Nothing will change if nothing changes and this is where so many parents go wrong.
- Adolescents who are recovering from trauma, grief, crisis or similar.
- Youth and adolescents who want an adventure that is also an investment in their future. Get into the gym, develop healthy daily routines and even cold-dip. Work with a highly experienced psychologist, or even better a team of holistic therapists and there is no doubt your confidence, self efficacy and action potential will drastically improve. See the Big 5, get a skippers boating licence, learn to wake-board and play golf or Padel, learn how to drive a stick shift, bungee jump and feed elephants.
- Codependents. Get into a program and start YOUR life. This is a big one, which we cover in another article.
- Finally one should definitely take a Mental Health Gap Year, semester or a couple of weeks or months out of their calendar is they want to change their physical health, lose weight, gain muscle or learn healthy lifestyle secrets and balance themselves. Physical, mental and emotional wellbeing go hand in hand.
Where to tell people you’re going?
Whether you’re a 18-35 year old it doesn’t really matter as far as self development and self improvement go. People respect those who respect themselves. Tell them you’re going to Mastery University to learn the art of self regulation from a team of experts in a coastal paradise. You will leave with a hard earned certificate of completion and the internal power and confidence that goes with it.
Schools, Universities and colleges as well as our employers and educators of all kinds generally always allow you to take a gap if you’re investing in self development and return without negative consequences. The support for mental health has seriously changed and is something that we should be proud of proactively working on by taking the initiative to grow, heal, recover and renew when we take a Mental Health Gap Year retreat. Let us know how e can help you by email or call +27824424779
