Recovery is a Journey, Not a Destination

By: Kaitlyn Mellom, Program Coordinator

I firmly believe that, in relation to mental illness, there is no past tense of “recover”. Recovery is an ongoing process that requires persistence and the knowledge that you will get better, even if it doesn’t feel like it 100% of the time. Because recovery is an ongoing process, there will most likely be moments of relapse, it happens. However, it is crucial to recognize the possible triggers to relapse and get back onto your recovery routine as soon as possible.

A recovery routine does not necessarily mean the same thing to every individual. Similar to how no two mental illness experiences are alike, the road to recovery will vary as well. One person may swear by yoga while another may see recovery as consistently taking needed medication, and someone may have found that a balance of both tools to recovery work for them. The important thing is finding coping mechanisms that do not compromise your health and help you feel like yourself again.

The first step to recovery may even be enrolling in the NAMI Peer-to-Peer educational course. This free, 10 session program can give you the skills and abilities needed to interact with healthcare professionals, develop a relapse prevention plan, understand how your mental illness may affect your day to day life, and more. Peer-to-Peer gives individuals the opportunity to connect with others who are struggling but also have the desire to learn how to live well.

If NAMI Peer-to-Peer sounds like something that may benefit your recovery, click here to fill out an interest form for our next class.

And remember, there is no end goal to recovery, take it day by day and never forget why you began this journey in the first place.