Self Concept Once A Stabilized Person example essay topic

2. Recovery: Error! Hyperlink reference not valid. It's only natural to want to get back on track and begin to participate in life again.

Recovery can only begin, however, when there is a desire to be healthy. As I talk with families who have a loved one with schizophrenia or any other serious mental illness, the topic of how to motivate him / her away from a destitute life spent watching t. vs. on the couch 24 x 7. There are two things that come to my mind regarding motivation. First, a person needs to know that there is a great possibility of developing a new life after the onset of mental illness. Without that knowledge, there is no hope to live nor reason to want to be healthy. Repeatedly, I was told that I would be affected by schizophrenia and wouldn't be able to do everything I had once wanted to do prior to the onset.

Wrong. The truth is that there is hope for those that believe. It may and probably will take time. Months may pass before you see signs of recovered health, but time spent in recovery is an investment that will bring forth a future that will give you freedoms and options that one does not have while living under the umbrella of the mental health system. The second thing that comes to mind regarding the couch potato life-style is contribution. During the second week of my hospitalization, I began to see how recovery depended upon my ability to use the skills that I had.

Once I began to redevolp those Activities of Daily living I mentioned above, I was able to ponder the important things in life. Eventhough it was going to take years to build my strength up again, I decided that I would begin to help people while I was in the hospital. Of course I could do very little, but the point was I did all I could. I remember helping a person look for a missing puzzle piece inside a recreational room. That act of service helped take my attention away from thinking about my problems and gave me the opportunity to focus on something constructive. So what is the difference between a healthy person evolving from schizophrenia, and a person stuck in the seemingly endless torment of it?

Answer: Self Concept Once a stabilized person has the desire to be healthy and takes responsibility for his / her actions, a genuine self will begin to sprout. By changing the way we see ourselves, our thoughts and actions will shape us into that person. Identity crisis is typical for someone experiencing schizophrenia. Without identity, we live our lives in the dark and live lives that are filled with experiences that seem unrelated. Our hope is in the future, but our minds and hearts are in the past. By focusing on changing our self-perception, the here and now of life becomes our constant focal point of awareness.

When we bring our awareness into the present moment, we can begin to see how our breath plays an important role in keeping us at the level of health we desire. I would even go as far as saying that a person will completely recover his / her life and experience remission if proper diaphragmatic breathing is substituted for shallow "breathless" breathing. Diaphragmatic breathing is the opposite of shallow breathing. Here's how: Begin by breathing in slowly, through your nose while mentally counting to five. When you are inhaling, picture the air going down into your stomach, not your lungs. Put your hand on your stomach and you should feel it expanding.

Now, slowly exhale through your mouth for a count of five. Picture the air emptying out of your stomach until it's totally expelled. If you are doing it properly, your shoulders and chest will have very little, if no movement whatsoever. Repeat ten times during practice and as long as needed when you are feeling overwhelmed by thoughts, emotions and attitudes. What is one of the main benefits of a healthy identity? Answer: Healthy Self Esteem We become more compassionate about the world we live in as we come closer to our genuine selves.

It's in our higher nature to desire meaningful relationships that build strong communities. Our capacity to contribute will increase as we demonstrate to ourselves our capabilities. When we see the good that we bring forth (and remain humble), we will understand how valuable our contributions are and feel good about ourselves. It's important to give oneself time to process this information through experiences. I didn't consciously say to myself "If I bring joy into someone's life, I will feel like a new man. That's artificial and will probably not come from the heart if our main intention is to feel good about ourselves.

My healthy self esteem was a result of being the loving human being that I think we all are if we humble ourselves and allow the powers of love work in our lives. Self concept + self esteem = ? Answer: Self confidence A funny thing happens as we feel great about behaving from the person we are inside, we develop the self confidence that's needed to continually improve our strengths and talents. In the spirit of gratitude, we can look forward to integrating our abilities to serve life to such a degree that we become much more than what we thought of ourselves during the process of schizophrenia.

Those 5 and 1/4 years provided me the experiences I needed to be confident in my capabilities as I defined my self concept. I became so confident in my abilities to serve people that I was able to progress gradually from volunteer jobs to part time jobs, and then on to full time jobs. I was also able to go back to school. Even though a couple of times I needed to withdraw from school when I was unable to utilize stress at that time, I did find a vocational trade school that provided the opportunity for me to learn offset printing in the graphic arts field. I've been able to screen print and embroider t-shirts, operate printing equipment, work at a corporate headquarters for Borders. com, and currently operate a web development company I created called WEB LANZ.

COM, LLC. Happily married for three years, my wife and I enjoy the blessings of parenthood with a 2 and 1/2 year old son and a 6 month old daughter. My message is a simple one. Total remission is possible. Expand the good from where you " re at. There is no magic formula that works for everybody since identity is the main issue involving schizophrenia.

Everybody sees a different healthy person inside him / herself that is truly unique. 3. Remission: Error! When a person finds him / herself stabilized and functioning fairly well while having not been hospitalized or any similiar relapse for a period of a couple to three years, I question the validity of keeping such a person on medication. It can be argued that it's the medication that's keeping the person functioning, but I don't believe it. If the person has established a reasonably strong support system which may include family, friends, and neighbors, it's my belief that it's time to work out a plan of gradual reduction of medication.

If one is fortunate enough to find a doctor who is supportive in this decision, all the better. However, this probably won't happen and will need to be done with other responsible people who have a good idea what this person's strengths and weaknesses are. Just as there is a time for a cast to come off the once broken bone, there is also a time to stop using the medication as a crutch. This is the period of remission. This is the point in which one will experience recovery to it's fullest. Remission is much more than just not being on medication.

Remission is the reward for a completely successful recovery. Now, one of the first thoughts I told myself on that April 1992 night as I decided to stop taking the medication was that I gave myself permission to go back on medication if I should ever need it. After all, it was my decision to start taking it and I knew it was the right thing to do in order to be stabilized. This idea of accepting the need to go back on it at any point of my life has kept me from stressing out about it, and is one of the many factors that has kept me strong without medication for 8 years and counting.

Stress!? !! First of all, stress is not bad; it's good. It turns coal into diamonds. Secondly, when our attitude accepts the things in life that cause us to feel stressed, we need to understand that there are lessons within these stressors that will help us progress on life's journey.

And lastly, it's a crime to think of how many people increase their dosage of medication just because they feel stressed. I was guilty of this a few times and I know how tempting it can be. Feeling stressed does not mean that a person is going to be unstable. It's appropriate to get upset when things are upsetting. Medication will not take away stress; it can only mask it and deceive us as stress festers and develops into even more complications on any physical, mental, emotional or spiritual level.

I believe strongly that all people who experience schizophrenia could achieve full remission. The major stumbling blocks are: - No belief or hope in one's recovery.