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Recovering Your Mental Health:
A Self Help Guide

continued

First, remember, you are not alone. Most people experience feelings or experiences like these at some time in their life. Some of them get help and treatment from health care providers. Other people try to get through it on their own. Some people don't tell anyone what they are experiencing because they are afraid others will not understand and will blame them or treat them badly. Other people share what they are experiencing with friends, family members or co-workers. Sometimes these feelings and experiences are so severe that others know you have are having them even though you have not told them. No matter what your situation is, these feelings and experiences are very hard to live with. They keep you from doing what you want to do with your life, doing things you have to do for yourself and others, and doing things that are rewarding and enjoyable.

As you begin to work on helping yourself to feel better, there are some important things to keep in mind.

1. You will feel better. You will feel happy again. The disturbing experiences and feelings you've had or are having are temporary. This may be hard to believe but it's true. No one knows how long these symptoms will last. But there are lots of things you can do to relieve them and make them go away. You will want help from others including health care providers, family members and friends in relieving your symptoms, and for on-going help in staying well.
2. The best time to address these feelings and experiences is now, before they get any worse.
3. These feelings and experiences are not your fault.
4. When you have these kinds of feelings and experiences, it is hard to think clearly and make good decisions. If possible, don't make any major decisions--like whether to get a job or change jobs, move, or leave a partner or friend--until you feel better.
5. These feelings and experiences do not mean that you are not smart or are less important or valuable than other people.
6. Sometimes people who have these kinds of feelings and experiences are treated badly by people who don't understand. If that happens to you, talk to your friends about it (if you don't have any friends, or only have a few, read the section of this booklet on making new friends. Try to stay away from people who treat you badly. Spend time with upbeat, positive people, people who are nice to you, and who like you just the way you are.
7. Listen to the concerns and feedback from your friends, family members and health care providers who are trying to be helpful.
8. These feelings and experiences do not take away your basic personal rights, like your right to:
   • ask for what you want, to say yes or no, and to change your mind.
   • make mistakes.
   • follow your own values, standards and spiritual beliefs.
   • express all of your feelings, both positive or negative, and to be afraid.
   • determine what is important to you and to make your own decisions based on what you want and need.
   • have the friends and interests of your choice.
   • be uniquely yourself and to allow yourself to change and grow.
   • your own need for personal space and time
   • be safe.
   • be playful and frivolous.
   • be treated with dignity, compassion and respect at all times.
   • know the side effects of recommended medications.
   • to refuse medications and treatments that are unacceptable to you for any reason.

   You may be told that the following things are not normal. They are normal. These kinds of things happen to everyone and are part of being human.

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   • getting angry when you are provoked
   • expressing emotion when you are happy, sad or excited
   • forgetting things
   • feeling tired and discouraged sometimes
   • wanting to make your own decisions about your treatment and life.

9. It's up to you to take responsibility for your behavior and for getting better. You are the only one who can help yourself feel better. However, you can reach out for help from others.

What to do if these feelings and experiences feel overwhelming

If any of the following apply to you, or your feelings and experiences feel overwhelming, do some things to help yourself right away.

• You feel absolutely hopeless and/or worthless.
• You feel like life is not worth living anymore.
• You think a lot about dying, have thoughts of suicide or have planned how you will kill yourself
• You are taking lots of risks that are endangering your life and/or the lives of others.
• You feel like hurting yourself, hurting others, destroying property or committing a crime .

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