What is recovery?
Tools for recovery
If you feel that you cannot cope with the pressures you are under, you might be stressed.
This section explains the common symptoms and causes of stress.
Stress affects different people in different ways. We have listed some of the common signs below. Some of these things will not apply to you, and you may have other signs of stress that we have not listed.
- The concept that people can and do recover from severe mental illness has become more accepted in recent years.
- "Personal recovery" is different to "clinical recovery". Clinical recovery tends to mean "getting back to normal" and being symptom free. This factsheet is about personal recovery.
- Personal recovery means different things to different people and should be defined by the person experiencing mental illness. However, for many people it means a way of living a satisfying and meaningful life within the limits of mental illness.
- There are different themes and elements which tend to be important for many people working towards recovery.
- These themes include hope, acceptance, control, basic needs and meaningful activity.
Recovery isn't about getting back to how you were before, it's about building something new.
Anonymous
Tools for recovery
1.Acceptance
Denial of your problems or of parts of yourself can be damaging, so acceptance may come first on your road to recovery.
2. Identity
You do not have to feel boxed in or labelled by diagnoses or by what others think of you. You have the right to re-define and re-name your problems for yourself in your own language. This can often help in reclaiming your identity.
3. Self-management
There are many different strategies and techniques that people find helpful; it is important to remember that it is unlikely that one technique will fit all. Find out what works for you. Do not to be discouraged by early disappointments.
4. Peer support
Finding support from others who have similar experiences or diagnoses can be very valuable. Find out if there are any local support or self-help groups in your area.
5.Talking treatments
Many people have found it helpful to have a professional to talk to about their mental distress. It’s good to try some form of talking treatment, such as counselling, psychotherapy or cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT).
6. Spirituality
Consider and value your own spiritual needs whether that for you is through religion, meditation or creativity – or something different. These can help you gain self awareness and peace of mind.
7. Recovery
Whether you consider yourself to be ‘in recovery’ or recovered, we encourage you to keep using the techniques of self-management which work for you. Being aware of how you are feeling and the things that may have a negative effect on you can help you anticipate and tackle potential problems. Good mental health can never be taken for granted.
Wellbeing & physical health THE GOOD HEALTH GUIDE
If you feel that you cannot cope with the pressures you are under, you might be stressed.
This section explains the common symptoms and causes of stress.
Stress - Signs (symptoms and causes)
Physical signs
- Headaches,
- Muscle tension and pain,
- Stomach problems,
- 'Butterflies' in the stomach,
- Sweating,
- Feeling tired,
- Feeling dizzy,
- Bowel and bladder problems,
- Finding it difficult to breathe,
- Dry mouth,
- Sexual problems.
Mental signs
- Racing thoughts,
- Worrying and feeling anxious about the future,
- Imagining the worst,
- Being forgetful,
- Going over things again and again in your mind,
- Feeling irritable,
- Feeling low.
Behaviour
- Having a short temper,
- Drinking or smoking more,
- Crying,
- Eating more or less,
- Rushing around,
- Biting nails,
- Not wanting to see other people,
- Making mistakes,
- Struggling to concentrate,
- Problems with sleep.
What causes stress?
Many different things can cause stress. If you can work out what makes you stressed, it may be easier to find ways of making this better.
Sometimes a particularly difficult situation or event will cause stress. For example:
- Divorce or marriage,
- Getting diagnosed with an illness,
- Leaving hospital after a long stay,
- Moving home,
- Being evicted from your home,
- An upcoming job interview, court hearing, benefits assessment or other meetings,
- The death of someone you care about.
You might also feel stressed because of an ongoing problem such as:
- Having too many things to do,
- Having a bad routine,
- Sleep problems,
- Unemployment,
- Health problems,
- Money worries,
- Family problems,
- Problems with looking after children.
Problems at work can also cause stress. This can include:
- Having too much or too little to do,
- Feeling under-valued,
- Long working hours,
- Bullying,
- Poor management,
- Poor work environment.
If you are having trouble working out what is making you stressed, it might help to keep a ‘stress diary’ for a few weeks. You could use this to write down when you feel stressed, what happens just before or after and what you were thinking about at the time. This could help you to find out what is making you stressed.
How can I help myself?
The first step to tackling stress is to work out some of the things that might be causing it. Once you have found this out, it will probably be easier to decide how to deal with the situation. Focus on tackling the things you are able to change.
We have some suggestions for ways you can reduce your stress levels below.
We have some suggestions for ways you can reduce your stress levels below.
Change your lifestyle
Limit your caffeine intake
Coffee, tea and chocolate contain caffeine. Caffeine may make stress worse in some people, so think about limiting these and having alternatives instead. This could just mean having one cup of tea in the morning, or you could try herbal tea instead. Reducing your caffeine intake might also help you to get better sleep.
Eat a well balanced diet
There is more information about this at:
http://www.mentalhealth.org.uk/help-information/mental-health-a-z/D/diet/
http://www.nhs.uk/livewell/healthy-eating/Pages/Healthyeating.aspx
Take regular exercise
Exercise is a great stress reliever. On top of that, you can make it a hobby, you can set goals and it can help you to stay healthy. There are lots of ways to exercise, and people enjoy different things. You could try:
Coffee, tea and chocolate contain caffeine. Caffeine may make stress worse in some people, so think about limiting these and having alternatives instead. This could just mean having one cup of tea in the morning, or you could try herbal tea instead. Reducing your caffeine intake might also help you to get better sleep.
Eat a well balanced diet
There is more information about this at:
http://www.mentalhealth.org.uk/help-information/mental-health-a-z/D/diet/
http://www.nhs.uk/livewell/healthy-eating/Pages/Healthyeating.aspx
Take regular exercise
Exercise is a great stress reliever. On top of that, you can make it a hobby, you can set goals and it can help you to stay healthy. There are lots of ways to exercise, and people enjoy different things. You could try:
- Cycling
- Walking
- Gardening and housework
- Going to a gym
- Sports (team or single)
Get enough sleep
Most of us know what it feels like to not be able to sleep and how frustrating this can be, and how it feels to wake up feeling like you haven't slept well. Sleep problems can have a big effect on us and make mental health problems a lot worse.
Talk to your doctor if you have a problem with sleep. There are some things you can do to try to get better sleep. These tips are often called 'sleep hygiene':
Most of us know what it feels like to not be able to sleep and how frustrating this can be, and how it feels to wake up feeling like you haven't slept well. Sleep problems can have a big effect on us and make mental health problems a lot worse.
Talk to your doctor if you have a problem with sleep. There are some things you can do to try to get better sleep. These tips are often called 'sleep hygiene':
- Get into a routine - go to bed and wake up at the same time,
- Try reading before bed,
- Don't watch the clock,
- Make sure the conditions are right- temperature, light and noise might affect your sleep,
- Don't watch TV or use a computer in the bedroom,
- Don't drink caffeine in the evening.
Do something for yourself every day
It is important to do things because you want to, not because you have to. This could include reading a book, watching a film or eating something you enjoy (in moderation if it's not good for you!).
Try relaxation techniques
Relaxation can help you to:
- deal with stress, and
- prevent stress.
Common techniques that people use to relax include:
- Meditation,
- Mindfulness,
- Aromatherapy,
- Yoga.
Manage your time and money
Manage your time
- Write lists
- Share tasks with others if you can
- Take action - don't put things off
- For complicated tasks, set steps and goals
Budgeting
If money is tight, this can cause stress. You might be able to reduce this by budgeting well.
The Money Advice Service is a good place to start. You can find out more at:www.moneyadviceservice.org.uk
If money is tight, this can cause stress. You might be able to reduce this by budgeting well.
The Money Advice Service is a good place to start. You can find out more at:www.moneyadviceservice.org.uk
Talk to someone
Get things off your chest by telling someone about the way you are feeling. Talking things through is a good way of easing conflicts with other people that might be causing you stress. You may feel more comfortable talking to someone you know, or you might prefer to call an emotional support line. We have listed some at the end of this section.
SOURCE: www.smartrecovery.org
This section provides tips on how to get a better quality of sleep.
This section provides some tips on how to improve your diet and wellbeing
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