Tough Love

So it's already mid-May and I have not contributed much to Mental Health Awareness Month.  I've been busy.  Lots of stuff going on and lots of realizations and such.

Getting help with mental illness can be the hardest thing a person might face in his or her life.  There are a lot of people out there who don't get honest with themselves.  And then to abruptly bring an outsider professional into the equation to tell you that You Are Unwell can create so, so much conflicting emotion.

But once the treatment begins, and the healing, and the revelations, and the awareness and the self care comes to fruition, life changes.  The fact of the matter is that a mental illness is a chronic condition, and while stability is to be found for many, it still requires work.  It's more than just swallowing a pill.  I have found a lot of men don't think that is true, but if some of them could try on a woman's insight for a day maybe it might change a mind or two.

And yes, sometimes that ol' Tough Love. Tough love isn't appropriate for everyone, so properly assessing someone's fragility is important.  

Anyway.   I have found the road to stability, for me, is in my interpersonal skills.  It requires my own 'mindfulness,' not just of myself but of each person in my space.  Instinct is a big part of my life, but it's not everything.  Communicating and learning about other people takes time.  As much of a cliche as it is, communication is EVERYTHING.

(The above is a photo of my Get Well Mobile Card that two of my former colleagues got together to make for me.  Recovering from surgery has given me lots of time for reflection... Lots of good old fashioned Mind Body Spirit/Soul work.)