Life in recovery

• “A great big sigh of relief”
• “A fog lifts from your mind and you can see the end of a thought”
• “Having your motivation back”
• “Freeing to realize that you don’t always have to engage with what is going on around you, because not everything really matters”
• “A weight being lifted from your shoulders, your muscles loosen, and you can focus”
• “Happiness and joy can be a part of your life again”
• “Accepting your feelings and illnesses is a way of respecting and helping others who are struggling”
• “It’s a little scary at first, because happiness and relief are so different than the hard times you’ve gotten used to. But you also don’t want those hard times to come back”
• “The more you face your illness, the easier it is to talk about it”
• “There is hope for your life”
• “Being alive again”
• “Celebrating small victories”
• “Getting a piece of your old self and your life back”
• “You’ve made it out of a dark forest”
• “Your life and your goals are worth fighting for”
• “You can be satisfied with normal things”
• “Having energy to do things again”
• “You can let go of the small things and relax enough to live life”
• “Realizing that you aren’t as miserable as you were, but the same amount as everyone else”
• “Ups and downs”
• “Your soul has been rejuvenated”

• Response is a term that service providers use to refer to improvement in your illness as a result of treatment
• Resilience is about adapting to stress and change in a way that helps you to become a stronger person over time
• Relapse means that symptoms of a mental illness have returned and is part of the recovery process – there will be ups and downs
• Roles are about having a meaningful sense of your purpose and who you are outside of your mental illness

Embrace the idea of change. Making lifestyle changes is difficult for everybody, but you will need to mentally prepare yourself for the fact that change is necessary (and worth it) in order to achieve recovery.

There is tremendous power in peer support. Peer support services put someone in your corner who has “been there, done that” and can help you find your own way through the recovery process. Some places you can find peer support are at your local MHA affiliate, community mental health centers, drop-in centers, and peer-run support groups.

Forgive yourself for failure. Recovery doesn’t happen overnight, and there are going to be days that are going to go really well, and other days that are going to be crappy. Having a crappy day, or showing signs of relapse or recurrence, doesn’t mean that you haven’t made any progress or that you should give up trying to get better. Be kind to yourself and keep fighting for the life you want.

Learn about all the resources available to you to support your recovery. Therapy and medication are the two most widely known treatment options, but recovery is about more than treatment. Other resources and services include: case management, supported employment, supported education, family supports, warmlines, peer support specialists, and psychoeducation.

Thing about who among your friends and family members you can turn to for support. The person or people you choose should care about you, believe in you, and believe in your worth. Having someone you can call or meet up with if you are feeling lonely or starting to struggle can help you to feel better and stay accountable to yourself and your recovery goals.

Set yourself up for success by creating recovery plans that you are confident you can stick to. Try this exercise: Think about a change you want to make to help you reach a recovery goal. Now rate your confidence in your ability to make that change on a scale of 1 (not confident) to 10 (positive you can do it). If you aren’t confident at a level of 7 or higher, revise your plan. Start with smaller changes that you are sure you can make, and build up to tougher changes to reach your goals over time.

Understanding what is going on with your mental health is the first step towards recovery. A screening is not a diagnosis, but it can be a helpful tool for starting a conversation with your doctor or a loved one about your mental health.

Take a screen

If you or someone you know is struggling or in crisis, help is available. Call or text 988 or chat 988lifeline.org. You can also reach Crisis Text Line by texting HOME to 741741.