Monday, February 28, 2011

Making a Choice by Decision

Making decisions is one of the most time consuming chores of being human. Being mentally disabled, we find ourselves seeking advice to make choices and often times we don’t always make the right decisions. This may be because of our own intellect, being forced to look in other directions or even the use of drugs, alcohol or prescribed medications.
Being able to make the right decisions doesn’t mean, intense soul searching, yet it does entail a quiet place where you can examine the thoughts in question. Know that you have questions that are a part of solving the problem, which may help you to make the proper decisions; there is an answer somewhere! Adding and subtraction are the basics to solving math problems, and they are the basics to making decisions.
If you look into the world of computers and computer programmers, you will find they use a technique of adding and subtracting to solve very complicated problems which lead to decisions which solve other problems. I have begun to learn many different problem solving techniques which have led to making decisions about my personal life. It doesn’t take logic or computer programming to know what should be right, experience is the best teacher and advice can be solace.
Written by Donald Sammons

Tuesday, February 22, 2011

Health and Discpline

I believe health and discipline go hand in hand. Like to exercise you have to have the discipline to exercise as many times a week as the goal you start with. I was exercising four times a week. Lately it has only been twice a week, and that means that I have to have the discipline to get back on schedule. I know you say I will exercise tonight and then something comes up and you say I will make up for it tomorrow then something else comes up and a week is gone. I just have to do it as soon as I get to my apartment. Once I put on my music and start exercising it is fast and easy. It is the starting that is hard for me. As far as my eating that has been going good. At my last doctor visit I had lost two more pounds. I hope I am eating healthy, although what has caused the weight loss has been my cutting down on portions. I feel the same if I eat one sandwich or two. That part is easy too. I was reading on the healthy skeptic this week about taking supplements. He says that if you can get the vitamins from food all the better. I like liver once in a while but not all the time, or even once a week. I believe that if you read the websites and do things in moderation it will all work out in the end for the best. It is easier to exercise in the summer. I do have to get back on schedule.

Monday, February 21, 2011

Take a Walk Alone

I walked into a mental health clinic 24 years ago. I was literally a homeless, struggling, drug abusing, drunken tramp. I came from a decent home life as best as parents could provide, yet my eyes were blinded as my belly empty to the world beyond high school friendships and books. I was unseasoned to my own ideas and the ideologies of others more grown and seasoned to life.
I went into treatment disgusted, angry and unbelieving anybody could help me see the truth of living again. I was 34 years old then with beliefs that only God could keep me surviving and that materiality was a matter for the greedy and inane. I reached my 55th birthday quietly, while I held back a tear. Somebody likes me!
I have seen myself without home or job, without friends, without sanity, only a partiality of it; yet what makes me smile inside, is the psychiatrist who asked me, “for what reasons are my states in life”, or the case manager who says, “you can plan your life without fear with drink or drugs”. I have seen myself change, mentally and materially because I overcame my weakness of being weak, through posture of identity, lacking the foolishness of make believe. This is a reality of Outcomes in Recovery where there can be no disbelief if you care to live believing you can be free of your mental burdens, through understanding your identity and what you want to become free of. Does anyone ever really walk alone?

Thursday, February 17, 2011

How to Define Recovery

Some of the things that help people recover from a mental illness are you have to take responsibility for your mental health and behavior. You have to recognize your symptoms and know what triggers the symptoms. Some people recover with medication and some recover without it. You may not have symptoms if you take medication and it works well for a person. The same medication does not work for all people. That makes it hard, because I had a good friend in the State Hospital and he was doing good for two weeks. Then his medication stopped working and as long as I was there they never found any that worked for him. I do hope he is out and they finally found something that worked. Even though you may have the same diagnoses, what you go through is different. Employment helps a lot in recovery by having confidence and it also helps a person interact with others. Support from family and/or mental health counselor or psychiatrist. It could even be a good friend who knows you and believes in you. Stubbornness, or self determination in the fact that you can succeed even if you have a mental illness, and you will not let anything stop you from realizing recovery, and you would also have to have hope that your dreams and recovery will come to realization. Hope helps with everything whether it be recovering from a mental illness or hoping to get out of jail or prison. You have to hope that things will not always be bad. I have a lot to be thankful for also. I came a long way from learning that I had a mental illness and accepting that I did. Recovery is an individual thing and to know you can recover. Some who recover and go on to be psychiatrists and such wanted to make sure nobody went through what they did. Some were in college before their breakdown and went on to finish college. Others started after their mental illness and finished and are lawyers, mechanics etc. Some talk about what they went through and some others do not. Stigma I believe does not allow a lot of people who have recovered speak freely about it. Why speak out when you are going to be put down or ignored. Although the good side to speaking freely and openly about your mental illness is that you would advocate and show them that you have succeeded. That you did not let your mental illness keep you stuck in it. Finally you have to use your strengths to help you grow and recover.

Monday, February 14, 2011

Bonding with Reverence

Humankind has a common bond between one another, no matter the joy or ignorance we live. It is friendship. This bond is a bonding through respect and admiration and love for one another. I am aware that there are those that do not share these bonds with others, yet a large percentage of the peoples of this earth do have these two bonding traits, friendship and respect. Having friendship is having an ally, someone you know well, someone or many you share fellowship with. Respect holds friendships trust, being of honor, esteem and admiration.

I noticed even the lowliest of peoples share these qualities, even criminals and especially the disabled. Those of wealth and those without have regard and acceptance of others of their own station of others greater or lesser than. Friendship can happen in the twinkling of an eye or days there after a sharing comes into being. It’s the sharing of that which we value, through respect which causes us to grow with others we respond with.

It may take weeks even months before we care to share with someone we care to bond with , yet it’s a feeling of almost everlasting joy, it’s a smile we have revived with our reverence and our respect of which we share unceasingly. This what people in Recovery search for, a change in fellowship, where we won’t be left feeling denial because of our ideas, because of our changing attitudes because we wish to care and be cared about.

Written by Donald Sammons

Monday, February 7, 2011

Thoughts Involving Recovery

Overcoming negative thoughts requires changes, not only mental or emotional, but physical ones also. Your life has to change to get rid of negative thinking, maybe where you live, friends, even bad habits. We must change what’s inside ourselves in order to become more of a positive person.If you’re feeling “blue” most of the time or you’re facing “bad scenes”, change may not come too quickly. Strength is what is necessary to understand your life and know what is wrong to create a change if you want your life to become better; it’s your thinking and what you’re feeling inside which make you a new person.Look honestly at your life and the things, the places and people that tend to bring you down and put them away from you. Challenge yourself because you choose to; and know that living a positive life is not living the demands of others not the will of others.If you don’t like something you don’t take it in hand; you don’t do anything; yet do try something else instead. It’s not the cowards’ way out, it’s just being smart; or idealistic, and it’s your faith in you turning away from the negative, reaching for perfection; striving for Recovery.

Thursday, February 3, 2011

More News about Jared Loughner

Well last week I wrote about Jared Loughner. I shared how I was not violent unless i used alcohol. Well in a blog I was reading the author says: “The risk of violence in someone with schizophrenia escalates 28 percent with co-occurring substance abuse problem, according to studies.” I believe this is true. The same blog says: she does not want Jared Loughner to be labeled schizophrenic like her. I feel the same way, when I first heard the story of what he did I thought here we go more stigma, because of what he did. Most schizophrenics are not violent. The news says he spent time in his basement surfing the internet and smoking marijuana. Some say he is more of a psychopath rather than schizophrenic. In another article the author a lawyer whom has schizophrenia, believes it may help get changes for the better. She understands the stigma. “As tragic as the (TUCSON) story is, maybe it will call attention to mental health, a few decades ago; people with alcoholism or senility were locked up in mental hospitals. Surely things have improved?” Although I cannot understand with all the publicity the case has received that no one has diagnosed Jared Loughner. He did not even plead insanity in his first time going to court. You would think his lawyers would. Whatever happens I do hope that it will bring good changes.