So much has happened since the last time I blogged. First of all, happy New Year to everyone out there. If you've never attended a RI meeting but set a resolution to improve your mental health this year, an RI meeting is a great place to learn new coping skills and get the support you need to help yourself. At RI, you'll meet non-judgmental people, all of whom have experienced some type of mental illness or symptoms that interfered with their ability to function in the world. Whether they suffered from what's commonly referred to as "garden variety" nervous symptoms or an illness with label such as "major depression," "bipolar disorder," or "social anxiety disorder," everyone is welcome.

At RI meetings, we don't focus on labels but rather on the everyday events, or trivialities, that upset us. I remember at my first meeting, sharing my particular label and nobody blinked an eye. The meeting wasn't about who was the most ill or had the most complex diagnosis. Instead, it was about learning specific tools that would help us alleviate our nervous symptoms, regardless of their cause.

What really threw me off, however, was that instead of a group of sad-faced, frowning, bitter people sitting in chairs around a circle, people were laughing -- at themselves, of all things. They had learned not to take themselves so seriously. All my life, I had the inability to laugh at my mistakes or my thoughts. If anyone, including my friends, laughed at me, I took it as a great offense. They must hate me, I would think. I never realized I was supposed to laugh along with them. We all make mistakes, and I knew that, but to laugh at them? Never. Not until I attended my first RI meeting did I learn of the healing power of humor.

Today, I'm having a pretty bad day. I feel tired and want to eat a lot of chocolate and sleep. Instead of pampering my feelings and giving in to my impulses of wanting to go back to bed and sleep (notice I didn't mention anything about not eating chocolate), I'm moving my muscles and, most importantly, I'm not taking my symptoms too seriously. Without the training I gained by attending RI meetings, I'd be immobilized by my symptoms. So I urge anyone who is still immobilized by their symptoms to attend a RI meeting, either in person or by phone, or visit the chat room, and start on the road to mental health and well being today.

Comments

  1. AnonymousJanuary 10, 2010 at 6:15 PM

    hi, NG, glad you're taking the total view that chocolate (in moderation) is not something to be avoided :) . Humor's our best friend!

    ReplyDelete
  2. JAYJanuary 25, 2010 at 5:57 AM

    I Enjoyed your Blog today....it was good to feel average after having a set back this weekend..Thanks for sharing

    ReplyDelete
  3. Chris BrooksJanuary 27, 2010 at 5:09 PM

    This is great and a familiar story among Recovery people. I have attended for 9 years and feel better every week. It is now possible to get mutual recovery aid at the Recovery online Chat at the Recovery international web site

    ReplyDelete

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