SAMHSA

It's Day 1 of May as Mental Health Awareness Month, and I have discovered disturbing evidence of erasure. This was a "page not found" at 12:35pm CDT

www.samhsa.gov/children/national-events

#MentalHealth #SAMHSA #NAMI

This week I learned I am in recovery.
I would never have put that together for myself because as someone with DID (Dissociative Identity Disorder) who does not like the concept of integration and is not working toward that end goal, I will always have a degree of symptoms.
To me recovery had always meant no longer having symptoms diagnosable as a mental health disorder. But it turns out that isn’t what recovery has to mean. According to the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) recover is defined as:
A process of change through which individuals improve their health and wellness live a self-directed life, and strive to reach their full potential.
In less fancy terms in means that if you are taking steps to better yourself based on your individual goals that you set for yourself and are trying to get to a point where you are living your best possible life, you are in recovery.
Maybe that seems like a lot still, but really it just means if you are trying to better yourself you are in recovery. If you are trying to move beyond what is holding you back you are in recovery.
There’s a certain degree of empowerment in those words. I am not broken. I am not less than or lacking anything. I am in recovery. I am in my place in recovery because every journey is different. My path is not your path and we may not share the same destination.
For me being recovered may be where I am now. A place where I am living with the symptoms, managing them for the most part, and am not afraid of them anymore. A place where I have a place to live that is safe and secure. Where I am holding down a fulltime job (meaningful daily activity) and I have a support network and a community to people to lean on when needed. Health, Home, Purpose, and Community- the four dimensions of recovery.
But maybe recovered can also be living in a place I consider safe and secure even if you don’t that doesn’t have four walls. Maybe it means volunteering because work isn’t something you can manage. Maybe it’s taking care of a household of kids or pets. Maybe your support network is the people in your support group online. Maybe you have chronic health issues, but you still can make decisions about your health and what you want out of life. Maybe it means being free of symptoms for you. Maybe it means knowing a depression is coming and taking the steps to safeguard to house so you stay safe and asking a friend to sit with you on the darkest days.
Recovery looks different for everyone. #Recovery #DID #DissociativeIdentityDisorder #SAMHSA #symptoms #Depression #Support #MentalHealth