Managing My Illness?

How do I manage my illnesses?Ā  I go to my psychiatrist for tune-ups when I need it, and otherwise keep regular appointments with her.Ā  I go to my therapist as needed, and at one time was going weekly after my last hospitalization.Ā  The truth isā€¦I donā€™t do all that Iā€™m supposed to do all of the time.Ā  Why not?Ā  Because LIFE.Ā  Iā€™m honest about it. I know what Iā€™m SUPPOSED to be doing.Ā  I know what I did to get healthy. I know what I have to do to stay healthyā€¦.just sometimes, I donā€™t do those things, for various reasons. It shows up in my mental health.

 

As patients come in and out of the hospital, it may be frustrating to see the cycle.Ā  It may seem so simple to the average person.Ā  Just take your medicine.Ā  Go to your doctors.Ā  Why is it so hard?Ā  Because LIFE.Ā  I understand this.Ā  I am married to a very supportive person.Ā  He takes over the household responsibilities when Iā€™m not doing well.Ā  If I have an exhausting day, heā€™s there to cook dinner for my two children, while he gives me time to rest.Ā  Not everyone has that.

 

I donā€™t always eat healthy meals, like Iā€™m supposed to. The other day, I ate an Arbyā€™s sausage biscuit for breakfast, a double cheeseburger from McDonaldā€™s for lunch, and Taco Bell for supper.Ā  Iā€™m still alive somehow.Ā  I donā€™t always get enough sleep, like Iā€™m supposed to.Ā  I get too busy to make appointments with my therapist when I need to go.Ā  I try to be Super Mom to my kids, a Band Mom to 48 high school band kids, and work full time.Ā  Who has time to go to doctors, even if the therapist will see me on Saturday, which he will? Thatā€™s not an excuse, or shouldnā€™t be for me.Ā  It is incredibly easy to forget that I am not quite like everybody else, as much as I like to feel like I am.Ā  I canā€™t short-cut my health, or I might end up hospitalized again.Ā  Bipolar I is a serious mental illness, and I have it.

 

Medicine gets stolen (truly).Ā  Cars get flat tires and appointments are missed.Ā  Life gets overwhelming, especially when the mentally ill person has no one supporting them.Ā  It takes work to be a productive person who lives a self-directed life if one has a serious mental illness.Ā  Sometimes, despite good intentions and efforts, forces beyond the personā€™s control may keep the person from doing what he or she needs to do to become healthy.Ā  If you know someone with a mental illness, giving them a little support might make a world of difference.

 

Rebecca Coursey, KPS
Peer Support Specialist

This entry was posted in Continuing Education, Information About Peer Specialists, Mental Health and Wellness, Resources for Interns and tagged , , . Bookmark the permalink.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *