When talking about ‘recovery’, what are we talking about?

I’ve started a new series – yet another one! – here on my blog. As this is a personal blog, I write about what is happening in my life and it is mostly related to mental health and psychology. This series will cover the topic of ‘recovery’ and my efforts to find my way in it. At this is the starting point, I have no idea how long this road will be nor how many twists and turns are going to present themselves. All I know is that there are twists and turns, that the road isn’t marked well (yet) and that it isn’t a highway. Here we go …

 

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Mental illness affects the body, the mind, the soul, the heart and your identity. It’s not some capsule that ‘doesn’t work’ in some specific area. It comes and it takes over the whole ‘you’. There isn’t a day or a situation that you can ‘leave it at the door’. I would actually love that, to check my depression in at the airport and run to take another flight. It would find me again but at least I would have some days off!

 

That is not the daily reality. It is always there, the depression, like my shadow. But now it is in remission, the shadow becomes smaller as the sun starts to rise. I’m on my way from being ‘ill’ on being on the road of recovery. But what is that road exactly and what does it mean to be on my way?

 

For me personally, (which is a key concept in recovery that it is a personal preference how you walk the road of recovery) it means going slowly from a passive to a more active position in my life. For me it signifies the shift from ‘I suffer from depression’ to ‘I manage my life with depression’.

 

When you experience living with a mental illness, you’ll notice some symptoms. Those can be positive, meaning they add something (like an auditory hallucination) or negative, meaning that they take away something like anhedonia, the loss of emotions or feelings.

 

The first stop on the road of recovery would be to manage your symptoms, to understand and recognize them. To find a way to reduce them or to fit them into your life. The outcome could be that you feel more in charge and that mental illness isn’t that big wave anymore that turns your life upside down. You know what can happen (to an extent), you know yourself, you have some resources and most important, you have your experience to go on.

 

In this series I’ll use the following definition “Mental health recovery is a journey of healing and transformation enabling a person with a mental health problem to live a meaningful life in a community of his or her choice while striving to achieve his or her full potential.[1]”

 

Building on that definition 4 additional life domains were defined by Dr. Robert E. Drake that can be taken into account when thinking about the topic of recovery.

 

The road of recovery to mountains of possibilities.

 

1. Existential recovery.

Being confronted with mental illness can have a profound effect. You can feel empty inside, confused about who you are and what you want out of life.  Hazy about what life is and what your place in it can be. It is not uncommon for depression to place you in an existential struggle. In recovery you’ll need to fill that void, piece by piece.

Many people find purpose and meaning through meaningful employment and social relationships, areas of such importance that they are dealt with in separate dimensions below.

 

2. Functional recovery.

Functional recovery refers to participation in everyday and valued social roles which are often taken for granted by people who have not experienced mental illness. Being ill I lost my job, you know the reason your alarm goes off in the morning) and some friends here and there. I’ve been able to keep my relationship, not all due to my efforts but as a joint venture between Pierre and me. I’ve kept my most important friend in my life but contact isn’t as frequent as it used to be. I’ll try to phone them sometimes, letting them know that I value their presence in my life very much. I’ve ‘met’ new people in the blogging world and although I don’t ‘know’ them in real life, they have become like real friends to me. They make me laugh with their fun blogs and comments. I feel like I belong in this community which gives me an identity and a reason to get up in the morning.

 

3. Psychical recovery.

People with mental illness have higher rates of physical health issues such as obesity and diabetes. Many people with mental illness also struggle with poor diet, lack of exercise and smoking. As such, physical recovery refers to positive improvements in physical health.

This can involve adoption of a healthier diet, increased exercise, and reductions in use of substances such as cigarettes and alcohol. Such improvements in physical health frequently have a knock-on effect on mental health: a win-win situation for body and mind. Physical recovery can be self-initiated, or assisted by physical therapists and nutritionists.

 

4. Social recovery.

Stigma and stereotypes can lead to social exclusion for people with mental illness. This can result in piercing isolation and crushing loneliness. As such, social recovery involves taking action to better participate in the social arena. This can involve connecting/ reconnecting with family and old friends. It can also involve new activity in the social domain, such as community organizations.

 

These five domains are discussed in much more detail by Professor in Psychiatry Rob Whitley in the video below.

 

I will use those 5 domains to discuss my personal recovery in further posts. I predominantly chose this framework to build on as I feel overwhelmed while being on the road of recovery. When being ‘ill’ things were difficult but the difficulties were from another nature. I was struggling to survive. Now I still struggle but I have built some baseline to struggle from. When you can look a bit further because you stand on that shaky baseline, you see all those domains approaching you in full speed. You do have a choice, leave your base camp and go under the blanket or rest at the base camp and start the climbing of a mountain the next morning. What would you chose?

 

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Are you dealing with (mental) health issues? Do you have experience with recovery? Do you have any tips or do you write too about your road to recovery? Let me know in the comments, I love to read them!

 

 

Resources and additional information.

 

Other interesting reads:

Blog about recovery

Caz from Mental Health from the Other Side shares her view on recovery.

 

[1] Online article: ‘Five factors of recovery in mental health’

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