What Is Recovery?

Relief of symptoms is only the first step in treating depression or bipolar disorder. The goal of your treatment is wellness and recovery---a return to a life that is meaningful to you. Recovery happens when your illness stops getting in the way of your life.

You decide what recovery means to you. Talk to your health care providers about what you need to reach recovery. It can also be helpful to work with a therapist, family member, or fellow support group participant to help you define your recovery. Your definition may change at different times in your life.

At times, depression and bipolar disorder may make it seem difficult to set recovery goals for yourself. It might feel almost impossible to think about the things that you hope for or care about. But goal-setting is an important part of wellness, no matter where you are on your path to recovery. Work on what you can when you can.

Related Information: Peter Ashenden, DBSA's Executive Vice President, delivers the keynote speach at the Georgia Mental Health Consumer Network summer conference in August 2007. This video highlights some of the most powerful statements in his speech.

Setting Recovery Goals:

Ask yourself:

• What motivates me?
• What interests me?
• What would I do more if I could?
• What do I want?
• What do I care about, or what did I care about before my illness?
• Where do I want my life to go?
• What brings me joy?
• What are my dreams and hopes?

It helps to start small and work up to larger goals. You might want to begin by setting one small goal for yourself at the beginning of each day. As you move forward in your recovery, look at the different areas of your life and think about your short- and long-term goals.

Short-term goals might include:

• Be out of bed by __:00 AM
• Finish one household chore
• Call a DBSA support group

Long-term goals might include:

• Get training or experience for a job
• Change a living situation, e.g., finding an apartment
• Build a relationship with a friend or family member

Remember to take small steps at first. Looking at a goal such as “move to a new city” can be difficult to visualize and plan all at once. Ask yourself what you need to do first. What can you do now that will help you eventually reach this goal?

Defining Wellness:

Two goals you might start with are getting well and staying well. Start by asking yourself:

• What am I like when I am feeling/doing well?
• What are some of the things that help me maintain or regain the quality of life that I like?
• What can I do to maintain my wellness? Daily? Weekly? Monthly?
• What early warning signs of my illness have I noticed or been told about by others?
• What can I do when these warning signs happen?

Ten Steps to Accomplishing a Recovery Goal:

1. State as clearly as possible in a positive manner what it is that you want to create in your life.

2. Be clear why you want this and how your life will be different once you achieve this goal.

3. Understand what you have going for you to help you achieve this goal.

4. Understand the challenges that exist.

5. Be especially aware of the negative self-talk that sabotages and undermines your attempts to succeed.

6. Be clear about what you need to achieve this goal in terms of skills, resources, support systems, etc.

7. List the 3-5 major actions that you need to take to start moving toward this goal.

8. Think of ways to care for yourself as you work to achieve this goal.

9. Stay focused on what you want to create, not on the difficulties you  might be having.

10. Be easy on yourself!  Have fun!  Enjoy the journey!