The Writing and Photography Blog of Kevin J Sabo

Recovery in mental health is not something that just happens.

It doesn’t happen by accident.

It doesn’t happen with drugs or alcohol.

Recovery does happen with hard work, but things do help it along.

It doesn’t happen with medications, though they can help get you to the point where you can do the work.

It doesn’t happen by faith, though faith in God, faith in yourself, and faith in something more can carry you when the work gets hard.

It doesn’t happen by going outside, or exercise, though evidence shows that fitness of the mind and body are linked, and the stronger your body the more resilience your mind has.

Recovery in mental illness isn’t a destination. There is no end point, instead recovery is the journey, learning how to take the roads less traveled. It’s learning your body, learning your mind, and figuring out what you need to do to be at peak performance.

Recovery in mental illness is hard. It isn’t a straight line. Some days are definitely better than others. Some days I have the ability to take on the world, other days I don’t feel that I have the ability to get out of bed.

Recovery is laughing, and crying. It’s not always pretty, and it’s not always painless. It’s bounds forward, it’s falls back.

Recovery is fighting everyday, but taking up the weapons everyday to make it easier.

Recovery isn’t running and hiding from the illness, it’s fighting it head on, letting it know that your not going down without a fight.

Kevin