What Does Recovery Mean?

As part of a session on recovery, students in the Vancouver Mental Health & Addiction Peer Support Training wrote what recovery meant to them on post-it notes and put them up on the wall. I asked if I could share them here – so here you go!

Recovery means an opening into opportunities, risk, learning and more successes than I had ever imagined.

I’ve come to believe that recovery is a process, not an end point. I’ve come to accept that recovery is not a life where there is no pain or suffering, but that life has hills and valleys and that’s part of life. Everything is temporary.

Recovery is all in the journey to a better you. It’s about the small steps coming together to make change.

Recovery is breaking through mental fatigue and psychosis in accordance with medication, psychotherapy and is [illegible – sorry]. All is a process which eventually will lead to outcome.

Recovery means body and mind, getting time to heal day by day…take your time to figure out what you believe. A way or path.

Recovery is an ongoing process that seems to get better and better although there are fluctuations along that path.

Recovery is a series of fortunate events.

Recovery is freedom to be me. To be able to separate my mental illness from who I am, and gain control of my life.

To me recovery means accepting one’s strengths, weaknesses and be able to keep on living as happy as one can be no matter what obstacles are ahead of us. We can conquer them.

Recovery to me, means accepting, instead of blaming and judging.

Understanding how important it is to take care of yourself. As we are all connected.

Where mental illness is partially due to not following one’s soul calling, then obligations need to be let go of and the process of listening to one’s intuition must begin.

Recovery is a journey when a person living with mental illness reconnects with the community whether its family or friends.

Recovery for me is a state of balance in my life. Although I may still get the occasional bout of depression or hypomania. Any bads are milder than in the past. I have art, exercise, loving relationships and volunteering to keep me focussed and happy. Life is meaningful and joyous and I appreciate being alive.

Recovery is a self-directed process that has no end and is continual in nature. It is holistic and is a product of hope, personal will and freedom. Individuals in recovery can help and assist others in their direction to a valued life.

Recovery: I really help to learn my mind open more understanding in world “real” life…

To the PSW Students of 2013-14: Thank You!