Olivier Giroud says his spell on the bench at Arsenal was just the "shot in the arm" he needed to rediscover his scoring touch.
Giroud, 29, suffered a drop in form earlier this season and had to bide his time as Gunners boss Arsene Wenger gave Theo Walcott the chance to prove himself in attack.
But Giroud has now scored seven goals in eight games for club and country since getting a double for France against Denmark in October.
The ex-Montpellier front man missed out on the chance to add to that tally in Sunday's 1-1 draw in the North London derby against Tottenham.
But Giroud is expected to start for France against world champions Germany on Friday and he says he is happy that he is not watching from the sidelines anymore.
"After the fact, you could say that it was beneficial," Giroud told Le Parisien. "I made a solid comeback and I'm even stronger again. You always need a little shot in the arm when you're feeling comfortable.
"It's always good to question yourself... it's not a bad thing, from time to time, to be faced with your responsibilities."
Giroud said that, in terms of mentality, being on the bench requires a "totally different approach."
"You have to remain focused on the basics and never give up," he said. "You have to respond when you're called upon.
"You have to be hungry and your mental strength has to come to the fore. It's not easy."
The former Grenoble striker said his brace against Denmark was the turning point in his season but that he never doubted that he would regain a starting place.
"It wasn't a period of famine where I was saying to myself 'do I still know how to score goals?'
"I understood the tactical decision of the coach. But after four matches in a row on the bench, I had to reverse the trend.
"I said to myself 'it can't go on all the same.' It wasn't good for me, for the France team or for [my chances at] the European Championships.
"I didn't want to spend the whole season on the bench. All of that made me react."