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Stories Narrative research project stories Back to Basics
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abuse | cognitive therapy | community/socialising/inclusion | creativity | depression | divorce | exercise | female | healthy eating | hobbies | hospital | housing | medication | pets | self help | self management | sense of self | sleep | support from mental health professionals | taking control | talking therapies
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Published: December 2005 This story highlights how self-determination, self-knowledge, creativity and self-confidence have impacted on recovery. I first went to the doctor when I was 17. I was feeling very ‘flat’ and generally unhappy. I told the doctor that I was very afraid to take a holiday from work in case someone took over my duties. I had the notion that if someone else did my work, my employer wouldn’t need me and I would lose my job. Thankfully, the doctor recognised this irrational thinking as a symptom of depression and asked if I would go into hospital on a voluntary basis to get away from outside pressures. She prescribed medication and on leaving the surgery, I noticed she had written ‘Depression’ on my sick line for work. Up until then I had never heard of depression. In hospital, I was referred to a Clinical Psychologist. I was so ‘down’ that I didn’t think he could help. After my first session with him he said, “What have you got to lose?” These words made me think that I didn’t have anything else to lose but I might just gain something. I began seeing him on a regular basis and have never looked back since. How does he help? Well…what I find is that whilst he listens to my concerns he also gives feed back. Just for example, let’s say that you are my friend and I see you on the other side of the road; you ignore me. I might think that I’ve done something to upset you. My psychologist would challenge this automatic thought and give me other options to think about, for example, perhaps the sun was in your eyes and you didn’t see me. What he is doing is challenging any negative or irrational thoughts I might have and helping me to realise that there are other ways of looking at situations. This is called Cognitive Behavioural Therapy and I find it very effective and it helps to lift my mood. In saying that, it’s taken me a long time to realise that it’s not just one thing that causes my depression. To stay well, I’ve had to go “back to basics”. This means getting a good night’s sleep, eating properly, taking exercise, keeping up my hobbies and seeing friends. Each of these things plays a part in maintaining a good state of mind. Having a bad night’s sleep can put me under par. If I then decide to live on chocolate bars the next day, my mood sneakily drops. A nutritious meal can do wonders to alleviate depression – try it and see! On the subject of getting a good night’s sleep, I work flexible hours. I used to go into work at 7 am so that I could leave at 3 pm, but I’ve stopped that now. Again, it took me a long time to realise it but my body was telling me that this wasn’t working for me. I was sitting at my desk struggling to keep my eyes open and eating chocolate for breakfast! And, you’ve guessed it, the sugar gave me a quick lift before a deep slump and a depressed mood. I now go into work at 8:30 am and work until 4:30 pm and there is a big difference in the way I’m feeling. I’ve learned that you have to take responsibility for your own health. Although I’ve taken medicine and undergone therapy, I still have to put in a tremendous amount of work myself in order to remain well. Self-help books are a good form of support. I tend to ‘dip into’ these on a regular basis. I used to resent taking tablets to feel better and would ‘miss’ them on occasions. I realise now that I only was making things worse and that I should take the medication “as prescribed”. What’s the point of confusing your body like that and playing havoc with your brain chemistry? What I have found very therapeutic is my oil painting hobby. My friend and I saw an advert in our local library for a ‘beginners’ art class and decided to go along. I’ve actually sold a few now, only for a few pounds, but it’s an achievement for me. The class is 2 hours per week and I find it the quickest 2 hours of my week. The time flies by and I’m always looking for spare time the rest of the week to continue painting. I used to be a home-owner. An emotionally abusive marriage resulted in a divorce. As I was so ill at the time I didn’t pursue my proper entitlements (although my psychologist had tried to encourage me to do so). My (now ex) husband sold our marital home and kept the proceeds. I ended up with nothing and had to stay in a friend’s flat. I now live in a council house and I actually feel more secure here than I’ve ever felt. Although it belongs to the council, I feel that it’s mine. No-one can take it away from me. I don’t have to worry that my husband will want me to leave and I’ll be out on the street. I have peace of mind. I live here with my beautiful black and white cat and I love it when he comes running up the path to meet me when I come home from work. I have good neighbours and I really can’t complain about anything. As for confidence - much better. Listen to this, I started work with a new team and they decided to have a night out. I was dreading it and started to feel ill. I was thinking that I would be the ‘odd one out’, that no one would speak to me and that I’d feel like such an idiot. I talked it over with my psychologist who suggested that I break the situation into manageable chunks. For example, I could just go for the meal and then leave. Alternatively, I could eat the meal and then move on with the group for drinks. If I found this comfortable enough, I could go on to the nightclub. This advice helped and guess what? I thoroughly enjoyed myself and ended up staying for the whole night. Feeling ‘recovered’ is great. It’s ‘bliss’. You have confidence; you enjoy being with other people and you are more inclined to take up new interests. Other people are important to my recovery but they need to be people I can trust implicitly. So there you have it. I hope other people will find my story useful in their recovery and by getting “back to basics” can feel a whole lot better. This story was written based on this individuals interview for the SRNs narrative research project entitled, 'Recovering Mental Health in Scotland'. More information about the project can be found in the Narrative Research Project section of our website www.scottishrecovery.net. If you’d like to share your own experience of recovery please contact This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it or 0141 240 7790 to discuss. Click here to go back to previous page |
Story Tags
activism community/socialising/inclusion coping strategies creativity depression employment (+) exercise female hospital male medication medication (-) peer support (informal) and befriending seeing things differently self knowledge/learning/growth self management sense of self support from family support from friends support from mental health professionals supportive spouse/partner taking control talking therapies voluntary mental health services volunteering Story disclaimer
The stories presented here are for information only. They are meant to inspire hope and show that recovery can and does happen. The stories highlight various examples of recovery and we do not advocate any of these experiences as the ‘right’ way to recover. Recovery is an individual and unique process, each person must decide for himself or herself what will work for them. Please carefully consider any decisions you make about your own recovery and consult with someone you trust if you feel unsure. See our Submit Your Thoughts pages for details on how to submit a story to us or you can contact us.
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