By Debra Hoppe
v Obtain
a psychiatrist.
A person with mental illness needs to obtain a
psychiatrist in order to plan some sort of recovery. One way to do that is to talk to a
psychiatrist and ask them how to get started in your recovery. The psychiatrist should ask you some
questions and come up with some sort of solution to your recovery need. It may take more than one visit so be patient
and you may find yourself pleasantly surprised by the outcome.
v Obtain
a therapist.
You also need a therapist to assist you
in your recovery needs. A therapist will
help you learn more about yourself and try to figure out the best solution for
your care. They will ask you important
questions so you need to be thorough and honest so they can get the full
picture to help the process along.
v Study,
Study, Study!
Study all you can about your condition be
it bipolar disorder, schizophrenia or depression. A person needs to have the knowledge to
understand how to get the treatment they need for their recovery. Study from the library at NAMI-MT (National
Alliance on Mental Illness) at 616 Helena Ave. Ste 218, Helena, MT 59601 or go
to a library near you. You will find
that your care will go much farther if you have the knowledge to back up your
healthcare team.
v Go
online.
The internet is one of the best ways to
find information so a person can grow in their recovery. NAMI-MT has a website address at www.namimt.org. There you will find a whole host of links
that will assist you in following a specific type of care. You can also find our blog so you can
interact with the folks at NAMI-MT and find new ways to learn about recovery. A person can also learn about the classes
that are available in your area.
v Join
a group.
Group therapy will encourage a person to
grow and conquer their fears about recovery.
Fears are a scary thing that can be managed by a group setting. It may take more time than a person is
willing to allow. The outcome will be
overwhelming but will also be rewarding as well.
v Don’t
give up!
Consistency with your recovery is
important because it helps a person to be healthy and eventually be confident
about the type of care they are receiving.
Consistency also gives a person the right to say yes or no about the
type of care. In this day and age, a person
needs to be careful in handling their care as to not be influenced by the
people around you. Only you know what
your body needs and know how you feel so don’t give up!
v Take
your meds.
This is one of the most important things
that cannot be overlooked because the health of a person depends on taking your
meds. Some of the side effects can be
experienced if you don’t take your meds.
For bipolar disorder, a person can go from one episode to another. An episode is where you experience mania one
day and depression another day. This can
be a terrifying problem. That is why it
is important to take you medication.
v Keep
busy.
Idol minds are not a person’s friend. It breeds unwanted behaviors and danger. The unwanted behaviors may be alcoholism,
drug use or even incarceration. No one
wants to have a bad behavior experience.
Take up a hobby or go for a walk.
Mindfulness exercises are a great way to alleviate the pressures of
everyday stress. A mindfulness exercise
may include deep breathing or a brisk walk in the park or watching a squirrel
jump by as you fish in a nearby lake or stream.
What fun it would be to see a bald eagle on a boat trip in the Gates of
the Mountains on the Missouri river north of Helena.
v Get
involved in your community.
Take
the initiative to learn all you can about your local, state and federal
government. The outcome will be an
experience you can treasure the rest of your life. A person can be positive about the people they
elect or vote them out of office and take charge of their countries
future. It takes a person that can feel
good about themselves and that is why getting involved would be a great
choice. Feel in charge of your life by
getting involved.
v Have
faith.
Faith is important to have so a person can feel
complete. All of the previous
accomplishments can be done individually but faith should be an important part
of the process. Faith believes in
something that you can’t see. A person
can feel the love but can they see it?
You have to decide something like that for yourself. A person can love in all types of ways. Faith helps a person understand right from
wrong, between good and bad. Faith can
come as a comfort in a person’s life. It
does to me.
v Don’t
judge!
Stigma is a negative attitude. It hurts people to the point of possible
suicide. It is embarrassing and
hurtful. A person will feel better about
themselves if you don’t judge and that is a good feeling for all.
v Spend
time with friends or family.
Friends and family should be the type of support
group that is helpful to the recovery plan.
Encouragement can be the thing a person needs to become more healthy and
happy. Having a support group helps a
person to grow so they can be an important part of their community, state or
nation.
This
twelve step recovery plan has helped me in my life and maybe it will help you
as well. I hope you learned how to take
some positive steps on how to plan your life as a healthy individual. Thank you for your time and I hope to be
teaching you more about how to plan your recovery.
