One way I take care of myself is meeting with a therapist about 1 time per month. Therapy is a tool I have used for over thirty years to aid in helping me Recover. I do not use a sledgehammer to get my mind right. Rather I see therapy as a drill. I am empowered to go as deep as I want to. I can stop at any time or I can drill deeper to discover more about myself.
When I began to heal I focused on my depression and anxiety. When I turned 51 I began to address Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. My point in telling you this is that it took me a while to drill down and find the root cause of my distress. Therefore, for me, it was not going to six sessions and walking away healed. It was years of slowly and incrementally opening my heart and soul to the wonderful gift of healing.
I want to share with you the goals I am working on in my Recovery:
- Continue to manage my symptoms; clean eating, exercise, taking medication, therapy, and support groups.
- Continue engaging in activities that support mental health maintenance and adequate quality of life; relaxation, church, family time, writing a daily blog, and support groups.
- Continue monitoring symptoms; mental health, physical health (hormone levels & osteoporosis).
- Continue engaging in pleasurable activities to regulate mood; puzzles, playing cards & games, biking, and time with family.
- Continue to grow in self-worth; I am kind, I love myself, I am right where I need to be, and I have purpose in life by serving those with a mental health condition and addiction.
- Continue to demonstrate compassion to myself; when I make a mistake it is ok I can learn something about myself.
Thank you for allowing me to share my therapy goals with you. Each person who participates in therapy will have different goals. There is no right way nor is it something that is scripted. Do what works best for you. Those of you who support people with mental health conditions and addiction may wonder what goes on in the course of therapy. I am delighted to share this with you in order to increase your understanding of the journey we take.
Peace
Larry
email: ljw@superhumanbeing.net
website: https://superhumanbeing.net/