What Do You Think Of Being Mental Healthy As We Can Be Vs 'recovery'?

[The Albatross]

OR... what do YOU find motivating?

You say, "Could it be, that the concept of 'recovery' could hold us back? Rather, (just speaking for myself), accepting the ptsd 'as is' (as I do my bad back/ shoulders etc, or eg a cancer diagnosis etc, if I get one), doing the best to manage it" ... US but then you shift to "I"... generalizing. Why are you doing that when rationally you intellectually know it is a spectrum... what are you getting at and why camouflage it by using a generalization? Just askin'.

 

[The Albatross]

"What if we viewed it as we do our physical stuff? And carry on, & accommodate? (Leave some of the questions & baggage behind?)" I do view it that way as it is an injury. I do try to carry on and not particularly exclusively accommodate... but continually try and test and bump and challenge myself, cuz I don't know where my point is still... even 15 years almost 16 of recovery for various things later... where my base point is. Haven't found it yet, plain and simple.

 

[Tinyflame]

Might not be just semantics by the way but over thinking...

Yes @The Albatross not like I overthink much.. :eek: ;) It could be.

It could be too that YOUR concept of "recovery" is holding you back and that is what periodic and regular self examination is for.

Yes I think it might be, or the thought that recovery = cured, but recovering-as-I-live (for however long) might allow me to reframe it more conducively to self-acceptance. Which I guess in a small way is what I was getting at here. It's new & foreign for me to be able to view myself with some self-worth, it's unfamiliar & awkward territory. Almost shame-worthy feeling, like needing to apologize for saying it.

what are you getting at and why camouflage it by using a generalization? Just askin'.

No camouflage or ulterior motive, I just don't like to speak for a group (in terms of 'us'), when my thoughts or experiences may only be indicative of me. And yet, the purpose of threads (JMHO) is to help others as well as myself, so I try to think in terms of 'us' possibly being able to learn & apply helpful new realizations. FWIW, tired too; I wrote 'mental' rather than 'mentally' in the title but never noticed for a day.

 

[Tinyflame]

I came back to add too, because 'tone' is not available with text, this question (my original post) may sound like I've worded it argumentatively or angrily or in disagreement or suspicion of recovery or treatment ("What are you against?' = -> "What have you got?") but that would be the opposite of how I feel/ felt. I wrote the question feeling a bit of hopeful curiosity. More a question of, what do others think? Is there a way to think of this differently, a bit outside of the box?

Because something else that occurred that inspired me to ask, was I saw a man, twice in 2 days on the bus, his face wrapped totally in a scarf (one day was warm), but I could see a small bit of discoloration, whether due to a condition or bruising Idk. I understand, at least how I feel about myself, but I thought what a shame. His appearance wouldn't bother me, no matter what appearance was under the scarf, it would take me a minute to not equate it to being physically painful (I would feel pain too, that mirror touch issue), but other than that part it wouldn't turn me off. But I thought I bet, by the scarf, he views himself otherwise. A shame because we are so much more, & have only one life to live (though I understand people can be very cruel).

 

[Deleted member 12723]

I like the term recovery because when I used to label myself many years ago, my self esteem was not there at all. I am dealing with the aftermath of not living like a victim anymore, not saying that you do this, but it was a role I lived that was so harmful to me. Recovery to me is a process of me on my healing journey that I will be dealing with the rest of my life managing symptoms. I look forwards to having more good days than bad ones. Just my thoughts.

 

[Tinyflame]

Yes @gizmo . I don't feel like a victim, in fact, not much self-empathy (I'd have a lot more for strangers) but yes I feel very broken or defective or damaged. Not in a deserving-of-compassion-way though, I guess.

I wish you peace and joy & healing. :) :hug:

 

[EveHarrington]

Yes!

I can see the concept of recovery holding me back.

Let's break it down.

To me (others, many perhaps) recovery goes as far as losing enough symptoms as to no longer carry the PTSD label, or maybe getting to the point of having no symptoms at all.

A good thing, right? Well, if you think about all of the people in the world who have no diagnosable disorder but are still very much not exactly mentally healthy, well, you could be recovered from PTSD but STILL have mental issues galore.

I don't want to JUST recover, I want to be the BEST me that I can be, I want to be as mentally heathy all around as I possibly can.

Am I going to "just" recover from PTSD? Heck no! I am going to push myself further.

 

[Tinyflame]

I'm not quite so hopeful, but I would like to be kind, happy, at peace. Be a positive for others/ not harmful.

 

[Alien Goodness]

I ebb and flow with acceptance of my PTSD.

I particularly struggle when I hit some barrier or emotional pain that stops me from doing what I want and see others around me do. I know for a fact that if I hadn't got PTSD I would be doing that stuff. And as my PTSD wasn't my fault, it hits me hard that I suffer a lifelong affliction. And people who don't have PTSD are just lucky - they haven't escaped its clutches through working harder or being cleverer, etc., than me.

If I'm just looking to extract the goodness within the confines of not triggering my PTSD reactions, then acceptance is easier. And I have learned to find and see good things in my life that I have overlooked, or would never have seen without PTSD.

 

[Tinyflame]

I have learned to find and see good things in my life that I have overlooked, or would never have seen without PTSD.

Such as what @Alien Goodness, if you don't mind my asking?

 

[void]

Just thinking out loud and looking for opinions. I'm all for mental health recovery- or so I thought (bea...

GREAT thread!!!!!

 

[Alien Goodness]

Such as what @Alien Goodness, if you don't mind my asking?

There's a range of things, but if I was to put forward my number one thing, then it is this - I rate kindness much more highly.

I mean everyone likes kindness, but it's not respected in the way competency, or cleverness, or wealth, or having high status is. Kindness is kinda taken for granted and seen as a bit wishy washy, compared to say, exercising power & authority.

There's a Harry Potter quote which says everybody undervalues kindness - and I concur with that.