As I began to recover and learn that I had potential for much more, I began to think of myself as a person with an illness in my brain. When the right medications came along and fixed the broken parts of my brain, I was able to finally overcome the thoughts and feelings that had defined me as an illness. I discovered I was human like everyone else and I deserved a good life. I also discovered it was up to me to make my life good and to make it count. I started to place different expectations on myself.
Recovery is very hard work and it does not happen over night. I don’t see our mental health system focusing on what is really necessary for recovery - RELATIONSHIPS. I would like for us to all focus on what people with mental illness CAN DO. Besides making sure that people with serious mental illness receive the best medications, let’s ensure that they receive compassion, hope and most of all, friends.
EXPECT RECOVERY! I now drive myself to work 5 days a week and can’t believe that I am doing this! We lose momentum in moving forward when we don’t celebrate success. Celebration Recovery offers people support and the feeling that they are not alone. Consumers gain confidence that their lives can and will be better!”
Diana Kern