Category Archives: Recovering from a Breakdown

Is Your Support Group Supportive (3)?

In previous articles we looked at problems caused by sexual relationships between members of the same mental health support group and also the destructive role of the group dominator. Today we look at the role of another very common factor in support groups: that of the group saboteur. The group saboteur comes in various guises, all of which are destructive. Ann had come to the group suffering from depression, but it soon became obvious that she had considerable problems other than depression. Problems that threatened the stability of the group. An accomplished academic, Ann liked to talk about her problems, … Continue reading →

Is Your Support Group Supportive (2)?

In our initial article on this topic, we looked at the benefits of support groups, in particular those groups for people suffering from common mental health ailments such as depression, schizophrenia, anxiety disorders and mood disorders. We also looked at some of the more unhelpful aspects of these groups beginning with the problems that potentially occur when two members of the same group form a sexual relationship. The presence of a couple in the group alters the group dynamic, but the main damage occurs if the relationship breaks up. One or other of the group participants will find it difficult … Continue reading →

Is Your Support Group Supportive (1)?

Many people participate in support groups for a number of different health conditions. For the most part they play an important role in the recovery or acceptance of that particular medical condition. The fact that there are so many support groups for the myriad of health ailments that plague us is a testament to their popularity and value. This is especially so when it comes to support groups for mental illness. Nothing beats the comfort of being able to talk freely about your depression, your anxiety disorder, your mood swings, or your irrational thoughts. Knowing that you are not alone … Continue reading →

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 about it is not an option. At the other end of the spectrum are people who don’t really want to go to therapy but are forced to 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 decide to enter therapy, the one thing you … Continue reading →

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. “Well!” you might say. “I have very little to be happy about. I am so sick, I can barely function!” That may well be … Continue reading →

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 on! When a person has a breakdown it may manifest in many ways. There may be moderate or severe depression, crippling anxiety, the hallucinations and voices that are the hallmark of schizophrenia, the routines and rituals of OCD. Whatever the form of the breakdown, we are … Continue reading →

Recovery from a Breakdown (6)

Last blog, on Recovery 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. Public libraries and bookshops abound with books full of quotations, witty sayings, and life-inspiring affirmations— there is certainly no shortage of comments on the human condition that you can use to assist you during difficult times and help keep you centered and grounded. Tips for using inspirational sayings 1. Choose sayings that resonate very strongly with your current life situation. If there are … Continue reading →

Recovering 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. Friends and family are the first … Continue reading →

Recovering 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? The Power of Lists Making a list of the tasks to be accomplished each day is a tool that the most successful business and academic leaders utilize to assist them to become high-achievers. If these people need and use lists, that tells us just how important lists are as we go about our own daily routine. The lists … Continue reading →

Recovering 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. If you have been able to achieve your goal of making the bed each morning for a week, well done! If you have been unable to make the bed each day, but have managed once or twice to do so, that is great, too! You have persevered with the task, doing it when you could. Remember those words again of Sidney Smith: ”It is the greatest of mistakes to do nothing because you can only … Continue reading →