Articles on Recovering From a Breakdown
Recovery
from a Breakdown (1)
The longest journey starts with a single step
What can you do when your life is a mess, everything that could go wrong
has gone wrong, and you feel you are so far down the slippery slope
that you will never see the light of day again… (Read
more)
Recovery
from a Breakdown (2)
Today we will continue on from our initial blog regarding taking those
first small steps to recovery… (Read
more)
Recovery
from a Breakdown (3)
We've learned so far to take small steps in our recovery, and today
we'll look at consolidating our progress and taking another small step
forward… (Read more)
Recovery
from a Breakdown (4)
So far, we have looked at achieving small tasks as a means of taking
the first steps to recovery from emotional illness. Having successfully
achieved a routine of doing one or two activities each day, where do
we go to from there… (Read
more)
Recovery
from a Breakdown (5)
Recovery from a severe mental breakdown is undoubtedly the hardest task
you will ever have to do in your life. Forget pushing babies down birth
canals, passing kidney stones, losing the use of your limbs, or grieving
for a loved one- fighting your way back to mental health or even maintaining
emotional equilibrium while suffering from a chronic mental illness
is the hardest battle of all, because it is a battle with the self.
And there is no more difficult, cagier, or more elusive opponent. Hence
we need all the help we can get… (Read
more)
Recovery
from a Breakdown (6)
I n Recovering from a Breakdown (5), we looked at using positive
sayings to keep us on track in our recovery from breakdown. Today, we'll
look at how to use these valuable tools to greatest advantage… (Read
more)
Recovery
from a Breakdown (7)
In our continuing series on recovering from a breakdown, we will look
at the many benefits of helping others while trying to recover. Feel
like you can't help yourself, let alone help others? That's a common
comment among recoverers. But not only is it possible, it will help
you to recover more quickly... (Read
more)
Recovery
from a Breakdown (8)
In our continuing series in recovering from breakdown, we will look
at the power of counting your blessings. When your world has been turned
upside down by mental illness, it is easy to lose sight of what is positive
about your life. And no matter how sick you are, or how far away recovery
seems, there are still positive things in your life. These are the things
that we must hold onto during our darkest hours… (Read
more)
Finding
a Good Therapist
It can be very difficult to make the decision to go into therapy and
people begin therapy for many reasons. It could be that the person is
in so much emotional pain, that to do nothing is not an option. At the
other end of the spectrum are those who don't really want to go to therapy
but are forced to go by a spouse or family member. The odds of success
are high for the former group and obviously much lower for the second
group. But for whatever reason you enter therapy, the one thing you
do want is a good therapist. But just what is a good therapist?... (Read
more)
Is
Your Support Group Supportive?
I often encourage my clients to join support groups knowing that these
groups supply an ongoing form of support that every sufferer from mental
illness can benefit from. However, these groups can cause problems in
some circumstances, and occasionally actually add to the stress load
of the participants. Let’s have a look at some real examples of
problem group dynamics... (Read
more)
What
Do People Expect from Counseling?
When problems arise in life and a person is clearly suffering from the
effects of a crisis or a long-term problem, it is often common to hear
the phrase: "You should go and have some counseling." But
what exactly happens during the counseling process? How does a person
"get better"? And what are the respective roles and responsibility
of the therapist and client?... (Read
more)
The
Stigma of being a Mental Health Patient
As if it isn't bad enough to be besieged by depression, bipolar disorder
or any number of conditions that may land you in a medical facility
for a period of time, there is the added stigma you as a patient may
receive from family members, neighbors, acquaintances, even your work
colleagues... (Read
more)
Setting
Boundaries When You Have a Mental Illness
It’s important for everyone to have a healthy set of personal
boundaries, but even more important when you suffer from a mental illness.
Boundaries take many shapes and forms, such as how you let people speak
to you or speaking up if you feel you are being belittled because of
your illness... (Read
More)
Telling
People about your Mental Illness
Whether we suffer from depression, bipolar disorder, schizophrenia,
an eating disorder or one of the many anxiety disorders, there comes
a time when decisions have to be made as to who and what to tell about
your condition.. (Read
More)
The Slow Breakdown
When we hear that a person has had a “nervous breakdown”
we might imagine all sorts of things if we do not have a personal experience
with the condition or no contact with a friend or family member who
has... (Read More)
Life is Precious
– Don’t Waste It!
Love every day. Each one is so short and they are so few. This
is very powerful quote from Norman Vincent Peale. When I read it, it
really pulled me up. While some days may seem to drag and we often spent
our lives waiting for certain things to occur, such as holidays, etc,
the truth is that life does go quickly and our days here are so few...
(Read More)