Six Steps to Move Forward in Mental Health Recovery
When first diagnosed with a mental illness, our lives--and the lives of those closest to us--change drastically. Immediately. For lack of a better cliche: like night and day; black and white. We know, instinctively, that our lives will never be the same. But if we take positive steps to move forward in mental health recovery, our lives will become more manageable.
How to Move Forward in Mental Health Recovery
1: Be Open to Change
Ah, change! Prior to diagnosis, we may have associated change with life changes: relocating, new relationships, even silly things like a change in musical tastes. The stuff that makes life, well, life.
After the diagnosis of mental illness, change has a whole new meaning. It defines our life. How can we be open to the diagnosis of mental illness? It's tough--but try. Whether you have recently been diagnosed or, like myself, have lived with a mental illness for a long time, you need to be open to change.
This leads us to. . .
2: Accept the Diagnosis, but Don't Let It Define You
I have said it many times and I will state it again: Coming to a place of acceptance is one of the hardest parts when recovering from mental illness. Without acceptance, we cannot find peace.
We cannot allow the diagnosis to define us.
For example, I have bipolar disorder but I am not just bipolar. The illness does not define me and even when I struggle with my mood I make sure to remind myself that I am not just an illness. And neither are you.
3: Accept Feedback and Learn to Trust People
Call me a narcissist, or whatever you like, but in my experience accepting feedback is tough. I like to believe I know everything there is to know about my illness. But when I falter, when my mood dips, dammit I need to accept feedback--both from my mental health care team and my family and friends. But I still get angry.
Let me give you an example: My mother might notice my mood slipping, like clockwork when the sun stops shining, and she will state, "Natalie, you need to see your psychiatrist."
I wish I could tell you I give her a hug and thank her but, well, I usually retort that she needs to see a psychiatrist. And then I think about it, realize she is correct, and make the damn appointment.
4: Trust Yourself
Yes, I just told you to trust other people, but it is equally important to trust yourself. You live with yourself every single day (kind of irritating if you ask me: my head is a busy place) and you can provide details on your mood that others cannot. Sure, my mother can tell me I look depressed, all the power to her, but I can also vocalize that my feelings are due to something in my life, the end of a relationship for example. You are your best ally when recovering from mental illness---Don't forget it.
5: Practice Self-Care and Make It Interesting!
I have to be honest: Writing about self-care is boring. It really is. Practicing self-care is also, umm, kind of boring? I suspect a few of you are nodding your head. But self-care is one of the most important things we can do.
To put it simply: We cannot find, nor sustain, mental health stability if we do not practice self-care.
Having said that, it doesn't need to be boring. We can even make it fun! I have written a couple blogs on this topic and I humbly suggest you take a look. We need to take care of ourselves because we deserve it. A few ideas, tips and information, can be found here:
- A Toolbox of Creative Approaches to Combat Mental Illness
- Self-Care Practices and Recovering From Mental Illness Part 1
- Self-Care Practices and Recovering From Mental Illness Part 2
6: Persevere. Be Resilient.
Perseverance is defined, in part, as our ability to keep going. To be resilient. To keep going even when the glass looks half empty. In the context of mental health recovery we need to remember that recovery is not easy, and sustaining it isn't either, but if we persevere we can find stability. And that's the ultimate goal.
APA Reference
Jeanne, N.
(2013, May 27). Six Steps to Move Forward in Mental Health Recovery, HealthyPlace. Retrieved
on 2024, December 21 from https://www.healthyplace.com/blogs/recoveringfrommentalillness/2013/05/five-steps-to-move-forward-in-mental-health-recovery
Author: Natalie Jeanne Champagne
Thanks for the points, Five key recovery concepts provide the foundation of effective recovery work.
Hope - People who experience mental health difficulties get well, stay well and go on to meet their life dreams and goals.
Personal Responsibility - It's up to you, with the assistance of others, to take action About Image and do what needs to be done to keep yourself well.
Education - Learning all you can about what you are experiencing so you can make good decisions about all aspects of you life.
Self Advocacy - Effectively reaching out to others so that you can get what it is that you need, want and deserve to support your wellness and recovery.
Support - While working toward your wellness is up to you, receiving support from others, and giving support to others will help you feel better and enhance the quality of your life.
I like this entry a lot. It's real. All of the points are genuine and helpful, and none sugarcoat the healing process.
I couldn't agree more that self-care is boring. Though they have changed my life so much for the better, sometimes I get tired of using the CBT techniques I learned in therapy. I also get tired of needing them to stay focused and balanced. Recovery isn't an easy path to stay on. It's refreshing to see your honesty. Recovery isn't about painting rainbows and singing "Don't Worry, Be Happy.'' It brings immense rewards but it's also difficult and demanding work, and as you say, can be far from exciting.
I will try the links to creative self-care techniques.
Thanks for the insightful blog entry!
Okay! For the last couple of months, at least the most prevalent emotion, although admittedly it was still a dominating emotion but buried under others previously, is fear of moving forward. I guess I mean literally, "moving". I have lived in this rather unacceptable apartment for well over 25 years and have vowed for the majority of those years to move ASAP! The landlord is less than accommodating and treats me, and I'm not just singling out me, as less than important - something I'm used to --- so no biggy, right? Well! Recently I have an opportunity to move OUT of this dump and I'm scared almost to the point of feeling like a piece of concrete. A few minutes ago, I just laid down on my dirty ol' carpet and cried I was so scared. I'd be meeting new people, it'd be an open, friendly community, and although I am an open and friendly person, part of me is scared to death of others' reactions of me, I feel so bizarrely different. I guess for that reason I've been a hermit for so many years, scared of venturing out and running into walking, talking people who'll judge me for being a "loser."
I know it's ME who needs to do the self-talk to boost my morale. But it really does feel good to be able to speak about my burdening self-doubts to folks who perhaps will understand and not judge for perhaps you, too, have similar fears.
Thanks for being there - and thank you so much for reading and caring. My heart, soul and thoughts are with you all.
Among these useful suggestions on satisfying recovering from any mental disorder, the fifth one indicate crucial importance on treatment and management of respective mental illness. I mean to say that the health way to manage daily life with its difficulties should be an excellent manner to overcome psychosocial hardness, as provocative and stimulating factor to relapse of mental disorder. Beside this utilitarian effect of self-care, patient with mental illness teach routine daily engagement on maintenance of personal hygiene, the primary aspect of global wellness.In this category of take-care partakes the regimen of feeding, regular intake of psychiatric remedies, healthy sleeping, and many others social skills that improve and develop social supportive network. On the other side, these recommendation ought to be as guideline in current psychiatric treatment of psychiatric patient, in order to return their impair self-esteem and the meaning of social living as well.
You're right about acceptance,I lost too many years to bipolar because I didn't want to accept that something might be wrong. I knew it wasn't normal to feel and act like a yo-yo, yet someone suggesting I see a pdoc scared the hell out of me. I finally stopped denying there was a problem and did seek help once it was suggested. It's great to feel normal and be in remission (so far,so good).