As I look back to last month’s excitement and activities around recovery, it gave me the opportunity to reflect back on my own journey of recovery. I remember that there wasn’t a magical cure, there wasn’t a special therapy session and there wasn’t a magic wand. It was indeed a process. A process of regaining my physical, spiritual, mental and emotional balance. I had experienced illness, crisis and trauma and needed to accept the illness and its associated challenges. I also had to adjust my attitudes and my beliefs as well as my life roles and goals.
For me, recovery was the ability to work, the ability to live in housing of my own choice, to be with my children, family and friends, and to be a contributing member of my community. Recovery was a process of healing and restoring health and wellness during episodes of illness and life stressors. Recovery is not equated with cure – but rather viewed as an on-going process in which I was vulnerable to relapse and increased symptoms.
Please share your process of recovery – you never know – it just may open the door for someone else to experience recovery too!