Meds, Faith and Skills

During a recovery meeting the other day, I came across a recipe that I follow and that may be helpful for other people, either in recovery, or those wanting to increase their focus on mental and emotional well being and balance. There are three main areas to my recovery plan. I focus on these three areas with equal importance, while journeying down the road that I travel living with the diagnosis of schizoaffective disorder - bipolar type. First, I take my medications. This has to be the first step, because without my medication I would not be able to approach stability or maintaining it in the way that I do. The second is having Faith. Having a relationship with, or the belief in, a higher power, I like to use the word God, is fundamental in creating hope and motivation, as well as creating momentum on the road to wellness and recovery. And thirdly, I use and practice skills. These skills are learning to self-evaluate, while journaling, going to a meeting or seeing a therapist, and also things such as meditation, dialectical behavioral therapy, or studying books such as “The Power of Now” by Eckhart Tolle or “The Four Agreements” by Don Miguel Ruiz, and utilizing the wisdom that these books provide. A skill may be practicing tapping, focusing on breathing, or understanding the phases of grief. It may be learning to be less reactive while getting control over one’s anger outbursts. It may also be a daily stretching or exercise routine, keeping one’s house clean, or improving on self-hygiene practices. Many aspects of basic wellness such as exercise, doing chores, or practicing hygiene can be seen as skills that affect one’s mental health directly.

I like seeing recovery as consisting of these three different steps or areas of focus. Medications, accepting treatment, and the possible adjusting or increase in medications that can happen from time to time, is very important. Personally, I have a pretty severe chemical imbalance, and without enough or proper meds, I most likely would learn to self-medicate with drugs or alcohol and have a very hard time getting control over anxiety or emotional outbursts. I also experience psychosis, and this must be treated with an anti-psychotic. I find it sad when I witness friends experiencing paranoia or delusion, which could be sign that an antipsychotic would really help. Often these people experience much paranoia around the use of medication, which makes achieving the end result of emotional and mental stability unlikely, as their paranoia keeps them asking for help and ultimately receiving much needed treatment of medications. Once one can feel mentally in balance with proper medicines, they then can participate in practicing skills, and ultimately become much happier human beings.

Faith, or practicing a higher spirituality, is needed for several reasons. Without the acceptance of one’s current mental health or stability, one cannot successfully move forward to accept treatment and to develop the skills needed to become a healthier happier human. Hope and Faith go hand in hand, and without hope, a person may never begin the long path to recovery and wellness. We must learn that there is purpose to us being right where we are at, and maybe we need to believe that a miracle is possible. We may feel desperate, hopeless, and truly defeated in what can feel like a very out of control state. Medications are the scientific aspect to getting our minds wired correctly, but Faith proves to be very important as well. We must believe in something greater than ourselves so we can put one foot in front of the other and learn to take our recovery step by step. This thing that is greater than ourselves may just be our recovery group, or the medications that we are learning to adapt to, however, developing a true spiritual life is essential for proper motivation, acceptance, and sense of purpose.

There are many side effects to our medications, and Faith and medications do not cover every aspect of feeling better. We also must practice willingness and develop skills and practices that keep us on the road to wellness. The daily practice of taking ones meds can be a skill to be mastered; but also staying physically healthy can become a challenge due to side effects such as drowsiness, sluggishness, fatigue, lethargy, and things such as hunger, high cholesterol, and high blood sugars. Keeping one’s environment clean and organized can contribute greatly to one’s sense of mental wellness, as well as exercise, and basic bodily hygiene. Then there are skills such as tapping one’s fingers at different points of the body, meditation and breathing exercises, dialectical behavioral therapy or DBT, and more. Going to therapy and support groups can be amazingly supplemental in learning to develop new coping skills and keeping up on things such as hope and resilience.

There is always something to add to ones set of goals or practices, or subtle realties to improve upon on the never-ending road of recovery and wellness. I hope that you gathered some tidbit from this reading that sparks encouragement in your own individual daily practice. Remember, there is no greater importance than your mental health. There are some physical things that we do to improve our mental health, but I believe that mental and emotional health should and do always come first. Be well, remember to have Faith, and good luck!