Education is vital to my recovery. It is central to my progress. At first my education was about the basics. About my mental illnesses and my meds. I was taking medications and didn't even know what they were for! How could I know if they were working if I didn't know what they were supposed to do?
Taoism helps me educate myself on various levels simultaneously. Everyday I have to look into the mirror to shave. That image in the mirror reminds me to check myself. Checking myself regularly was an important factor in realizing I had a hernia recently.
The mirror is also a metaphor for reflection. Every time I see my reflection I'm reminded of self-reflection. What were my recent actions, reactions, and responses. Which ones were productive and constructive, and which ones need to be corrected. I can't move forward unless I know what worked and what didn't in the past.
Every move forward is a risk . A step into the unknown. Staying in the same place can get comfortable, but you cannot grow or make progress without forward motion. You can't get to second base with one foot on first. You have to let go to move forward or you're just stuck. Self-reflection gives you the information to take an educated risk. I don't know about you but I do not want to blindly stumble into the unknown.
Self-reflection also helps you to move forward spiritually. After all, we are all here to grow. Physically, spiritually, and emotionally. Growth is an ongoing process. Growth helps us to become better family members, friends, citizens, and feel better about ourselves.
Tonight as you look in the mirror, think about what that person staring back is trying to remind you. Check yourself! Reflect! Educate yourself about you!
'Til next time.
Sunday, May 8, 2011
Monday, May 2, 2011
Personal Responsibility
Personal responsibility is very important to my mental illness recovery. Mental illness isn't the measles. I can't go to the doctor and say fix this. I have to play an active role in my recovery.
Personal responsibility means I have to do whatever I can to recover from and maintain wellness with my mental illnesses. That includes being compliant with my medications, keeping appointments, and partnering with my providers in developing my treatment plan.
I cannot withhold information from my psychiatrist or therapist. I can't tell my providers that I'm not sleeping well and leave out I'm having a lot of nightmares. My psychiatrist will probably adjust my medications to provide better sleep and my therapist will most likely take a cognitive behavioral approach to foster better sleeping patterns.
When these efforts do not work, I can't go around complaining I'm still having problems with sleep. With full disclosure my psychiatrist would more than likely prescribe different medications and my therapist would take a whole different approach to the problem.
Are you holding back information from your providers? Do you actively participate in your treatment planning? On a scale of 1-10, one being no participation at all, where is your personal responsibility?
Next time I'll discuss education as it pertains to mental health recovery.
Personal responsibility means I have to do whatever I can to recover from and maintain wellness with my mental illnesses. That includes being compliant with my medications, keeping appointments, and partnering with my providers in developing my treatment plan.
I cannot withhold information from my psychiatrist or therapist. I can't tell my providers that I'm not sleeping well and leave out I'm having a lot of nightmares. My psychiatrist will probably adjust my medications to provide better sleep and my therapist will most likely take a cognitive behavioral approach to foster better sleeping patterns.
When these efforts do not work, I can't go around complaining I'm still having problems with sleep. With full disclosure my psychiatrist would more than likely prescribe different medications and my therapist would take a whole different approach to the problem.
Are you holding back information from your providers? Do you actively participate in your treatment planning? On a scale of 1-10, one being no participation at all, where is your personal responsibility?
Next time I'll discuss education as it pertains to mental health recovery.
Saturday, April 23, 2011
Mental Illness Recovery
There are five pillars or fundamental principals of mental illness recovery:
1. Hope
2. Personal Responsibility
3. Education
4. Self-Advocacy
5. Support
We are going to explore all five starting today with Hope.
Hope is the foundation of any type of recovery. Without it, you can't even begin to move forward. I sure couldn't. During the darkest period of my darkest days, I was hopeLESS. Initially I felt helpless, then worthless, and eventually hopeless.
I was a Pity Sandwich. A slice of misery surrounded by two slices of hard times. I was in a funk so deep I felt there was no way out. I just gave up! I felt my emotional situation was impossible to change. I was traumatized by my emotional and psychological state of being.
Shocked and dumbstruck, I drifted through life until somewhere, somehow I happened upon a spark of hope. From that point on, my life began to change. Until that point, friends tried to reassure me by saying "You may not realize it now, but there's a light at the end of the tunnel." I would respond "I know. I see it It's a train, and it's closing in fast."
It was like every time Life threw something at me, I faced it head on and worked through it, and stomped on the remaining emotional and psychological debris. Packing it down beneath me. Finally, I had packed so much debris beneath me, I was able to just step out of my Hole of Despair.
That little spark of Hope began to burn a little hole in my darkness that grew bigger each day; letting in more and more light, which brought with it more and more Hope.
Hope can also be an acronym for Helping Other People through Empowerment. I found that the more I helped others, the more hope I collected. Helping others actually helped ME.
How does Hope factor into your recovery?
1. Hope
2. Personal Responsibility
3. Education
4. Self-Advocacy
5. Support
We are going to explore all five starting today with Hope.
Hope is the foundation of any type of recovery. Without it, you can't even begin to move forward. I sure couldn't. During the darkest period of my darkest days, I was hopeLESS. Initially I felt helpless, then worthless, and eventually hopeless.
I was a Pity Sandwich. A slice of misery surrounded by two slices of hard times. I was in a funk so deep I felt there was no way out. I just gave up! I felt my emotional situation was impossible to change. I was traumatized by my emotional and psychological state of being.
Shocked and dumbstruck, I drifted through life until somewhere, somehow I happened upon a spark of hope. From that point on, my life began to change. Until that point, friends tried to reassure me by saying "You may not realize it now, but there's a light at the end of the tunnel." I would respond "I know. I see it It's a train, and it's closing in fast."
It was like every time Life threw something at me, I faced it head on and worked through it, and stomped on the remaining emotional and psychological debris. Packing it down beneath me. Finally, I had packed so much debris beneath me, I was able to just step out of my Hole of Despair.
That little spark of Hope began to burn a little hole in my darkness that grew bigger each day; letting in more and more light, which brought with it more and more Hope.
Hope can also be an acronym for Helping Other People through Empowerment. I found that the more I helped others, the more hope I collected. Helping others actually helped ME.
How does Hope factor into your recovery?
Thursday, November 11, 2010
Help for Family Members
I have been a member of NAMI (National Alliance on Mental Illness) for 12 years. NAMI started as an organization primarily for family members. NAMI now offers services for both family members as well as consumers.
The free Family to Family educational program has been scientifically proven to benefit family members. Unfortunately NAMI affiliates can only offer this program a few times a year.
When my youngest sister was diagnosed with paranoid schizophrenia my family turned to me for answers. They thought I naturally knew what to do because I had three diagnoses myself. WRONG! I took the F2F course in order to help my sister. To find a F2F course near you Click Here .
If you are someone diagnosed with Bipolar Disorder and a F2F course is not possible in the near future there is another option for your family. Click Here
Be aware when you register for the free kit you will automatically sign up for a trial membership in a monthly information program. You can cancel at any time before you are billed. If you just want the free info I suggest canceling about one week after you send for the free material.
'Til next time.
The free Family to Family educational program has been scientifically proven to benefit family members. Unfortunately NAMI affiliates can only offer this program a few times a year.
When my youngest sister was diagnosed with paranoid schizophrenia my family turned to me for answers. They thought I naturally knew what to do because I had three diagnoses myself. WRONG! I took the F2F course in order to help my sister. To find a F2F course near you Click Here .
If you are someone diagnosed with Bipolar Disorder and a F2F course is not possible in the near future there is another option for your family. Click Here
Be aware when you register for the free kit you will automatically sign up for a trial membership in a monthly information program. You can cancel at any time before you are billed. If you just want the free info I suggest canceling about one week after you send for the free material.
'Til next time.
Thursday, September 30, 2010
Peer Support Groups
Peer support is very powerful in my opinion. I work in a PRRC ( Psychosocial Rehabilitation and Recovery Center ). I watch people attending therapeutic groups all day long. There is a noticeable difference in the milieu when the group is peer support.
I think when people are in an environment where they can contribute as well as receive support, they leave feeling much better. Whenever I facilitate a peer support group of veterans at my PRRC the air is pregnant with anticipation as the group begins. The group is so popular it has spawned a second group.
Whenever I am in the company of others who share the same experiences and challenges I face daily, I feel more comfortable and am therefore more likely to reach out for support. If you would like to find a mental illness peer support group in your area there are a number of organizations offering help. To find a NAMI Connection group go here.
The DBSA ( Depression and Bipolar Support Alliance ) is a national patient-directed nonprofit organization focusing specifically on depression and bipolar disorder. To find a DBSA support group in your area click here.
Abraham Low was a Jewish-American ( 1891-1954 ) neuropsychiatrist noted for his work establishing self help groups for the mentally ill. In 1937 Dr. Low established Recovery, Inc. and acted as it's medical director until 1954. Recovery, Inc. is now Recovery International and is based in Chicago, Illinois. Recovery, Inc. was way ahead of it's time focusing on peer led groups utilizing techniques now called CBT ( cognitive behavioral therapy ). Recovery International offers three options for participation. In person, telephone, and online. If you are interested in exploring one of these options go here.
'Til next time.
Tuesday, September 14, 2010
Isolation and Libraries
September is National Library Card Sign-Up Month. I'm noting that in the Peer Support Corner because the central library in Baltimore was the first place I used to help me break my isolative behavior.
It made me leave the house to catch the bus. I had to stand at the bus stop with other people. I forced myself to interact with the other people. I quickly realized the interaction made the experiece more enjoyable. I am naturally shy when I don't have a role to play (like trainer or presenter) so this helped me get out of my comfort zone. Getting out of my comfort zone helped me understand "going out on a limb" can be rewarding because that is where the fruit is.
Once at the library I was in heaven. I'm an information junkie and to literally be standing in the middle of hundreds of thousands of books and film was almost pure ecstacy. I would get lost in the crowd of both people and books for hours on end. I still love going to that library. Our main library also has free classes, classes for small fees, film showings, lectures, exhibits, and internet access. It is the original cheap thrill.
Did you know there are over 50 ways to use a library card? Find out more here .
Think librarians are dull? Find out how some are pimping their bookcarts .
What the book you read in public says about you .
Finally, the fight over President Obama's library .
Check out your town's main library. It may be therapeutic!
It made me leave the house to catch the bus. I had to stand at the bus stop with other people. I forced myself to interact with the other people. I quickly realized the interaction made the experiece more enjoyable. I am naturally shy when I don't have a role to play (like trainer or presenter) so this helped me get out of my comfort zone. Getting out of my comfort zone helped me understand "going out on a limb" can be rewarding because that is where the fruit is.
Once at the library I was in heaven. I'm an information junkie and to literally be standing in the middle of hundreds of thousands of books and film was almost pure ecstacy. I would get lost in the crowd of both people and books for hours on end. I still love going to that library. Our main library also has free classes, classes for small fees, film showings, lectures, exhibits, and internet access. It is the original cheap thrill.
Did you know there are over 50 ways to use a library card? Find out more here .
Think librarians are dull? Find out how some are pimping their bookcarts .
What the book you read in public says about you .
Finally, the fight over President Obama's library .
Check out your town's main library. It may be therapeutic!
Monday, September 6, 2010
Welcome!
This is the first post of the Peer Support Corner. I hope this will be a resource for people recovering from serious mental illness. I am always looking for interesting things about recovery and wellness. I think a lot of the things I find interesting may be of interest to others in recovery, so I started this blog as a way to share what I've found. I find the most interesting things from other bloggers, so that is what I will be sharing.
Humor and spirituality are very important to me. Click on the cartoon character widget on the right of the blog and get a taste of mental health humor. You can find a little Taoist wisdom at the bottom of the page.
The first thing I would like to introduce you to is a post from another peer in Canada. If you have read my other blog Irritablebrain.com and enjoyed it, I'm sure you will enjoy this.
Sharing is the essence of peer support. Take a second look at the meaning of mental health recovery from the blog of the Hopeworks Community.
Finally, riding on the heels of the 5th anniversary of Katrina, see the lasting effects of the Bush administration's efforts to block Medicaid relief to Katrina children here.
This ends my first short post. Hope you had a great Labor Day weekend!
Humor and spirituality are very important to me. Click on the cartoon character widget on the right of the blog and get a taste of mental health humor. You can find a little Taoist wisdom at the bottom of the page.
The first thing I would like to introduce you to is a post from another peer in Canada. If you have read my other blog Irritablebrain.com and enjoyed it, I'm sure you will enjoy this.
Sharing is the essence of peer support. Take a second look at the meaning of mental health recovery from the blog of the Hopeworks Community.
Finally, riding on the heels of the 5th anniversary of Katrina, see the lasting effects of the Bush administration's efforts to block Medicaid relief to Katrina children here.
This ends my first short post. Hope you had a great Labor Day weekend!
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