Moving Forward

Moving forward toward recovery is always our primary goal. Today we are not in crisis. Often that means a sort of vacuum. "Not in crisis" is a nowhere place, often a sort of shelf over the abyss. To get from "not in crisis" to recovery, we have to move, and movement is - well - scary. Maybe we should stay right here. Not in crisis.

I think that the trick to moving out of crisis is to make a wheel. Okay, appreciate the metaphor, movement=wheel. Now you are the hub of the wheel. Just you - Not in Crisis. To make a nice round wheel we need to have some spokes. First spoke for most of us - a mental health care professional. This can be your therapist or psychiatrist or even your MD, but you need one that you trust and you need one who can provide you with spoke #2 -medication. I mean the right medication or combo platter to help you maintain some balance in the ol' brain chemistry.

Great start! But two spokes do not a wheel make. Let's add another - family. No one on this earth can support you more than those that love you. They may need education to understand what's going on with you, but they can be your safety zone. Three spokes is still kind of flimsy so how about friends? Then think about a personal counselor, a support group, or an online community. Starting to get the picture? The more spokes you have in that wheel the stronger it's going to feel. And movement is just bound to happen.

Find more about NAMI support groups here.