Recovery Avoidance and incentive to recover

[Guest]

Thought this might be a good idea to get those who are frightened to seek help to take stock of their situation.

My incentives to recover are:

- to see and experience an enriching life

-to 'win' and prove my strength to myself

- curiosity about what life has to offer.

- to be free to enjoy the limited time I have on this earth.

- to be able to engage in a meaningful career that will better the lives of others (animals or people or environment).

- to not be a burden to my family

- to establish healthy relationships with family and friends and let them live their lives as well.

What are your incentives? I know some people may think they are worthless and everything is pointless and are unable to see incentives which would indicate major depression, but it is good to identify that as well and see it for what it is

[Ashley]

What a fantastic post, and along similar lines setting goals (short term, medium and long) is another great exercise a good therapist should set in session one. I tweeted this great video about recovery a few weeks ago, and how recovery may mean different things to different people which is a great message. https://vimeo.com/140041493 They describe recovery:

“Recovery is being able to live a meaningful and satisfying life, as defined by each person, in the presence or absence of symptoms. It is about having control over and input into your own life. Each individual’s recovery, like his or her experience of the mental health problems or illness, is a unique and deeply personal process.”

In your list I like the 'curiosity about what life has to offer', it's intriguing and so much easier where OCD/MH is not limiting your exploration.

[PolarBear]

Great topic. I suffered for nearly 40 years and didn't know I had OCD. When I was diagnosed I looked to the future and thought, I wonder what life would be like without the burden of OCD. I actually think your list of incentives is bang on, Orwell.

[snowbear]

Thought this might be a good idea to get those who are frightened to seek help to take stock of their situation.

My incentives to recover are:

- to see and experience an enriching life

-to 'win' and prove my strength to myself

- curiosity about what life has to offer.

- to be free to enjoy the limited time I have on this earth.

- to be able to engage in a meaningful career that will better the lives of others (animals or people or environment).

- to not be a burden to my family

- to establish healthy relationships with family and friends and let them live their lives as well.

What are your incentives? I know some people may think they are worthless and everything is pointless and are unable to see incentives which would indicate major depression, but it is good to identify that as well and see it for what it is

Fabulous post and fabulous list!

I particularly like 'curiosity about what life has to offer. That alone is a sign you have the mental skills you need to make this journey.

Personal incentives can also be quite specific and set on a shorter time scale. Perhaps that's goals as much as incentives, but there's a lot of overlap between the two.

[snowbear]

I tweeted this great video about recovery a few weeks ago, and how recovery may mean different things to different people which is a great message. https://vimeo.com/140041493 They describe recovery:

“Recovery is being able to live a meaningful and satisfying life, as defined by each person, in the presence or absence of symptoms. It is about having control over and input into your own life. Each individual’s recovery, like his or her experience of the mental health problems or illness, is a unique and deeply personal process.”

Good video, Ashley. I like that they use the CHIME model which is based on scientific research. It won't be long before everybody knows about CHIME.

[ecomum]

Brillaint post.

Mine is to enjoy what i have .i always say i live in a town everyone would love to live in as they come on holiday in the hundreds.i have a good job that everyone would love because its term time only and paid holidays !!!!and loads of people fancy my husband but he chose me.i have 5 amazingly talented and bright children with great futures ahead.

I just dont enjoy any of ot because of this damn ocd. My only incentive is to beat ocd so i can enjoy what i have !!!

[Ashley]

Hundreds of posts in the last few days and this post is getting little interest. When OCD is savaging us it is easy to lose sight of the future and our futures, so I think this deserves pinning for a few days to hopefully shine a light for some of us.

[Guest]

Thank you!

[gingerbreadgirl]

I love this post. Like others, I especially love the 'curiosity about life'.

This is something I have developed in recent months/years after substantially improving. It is an amazing thing. Until recently, I honestly didn't feel I deserved anything, and I felt no curiosity about life as a result - it was something for other people, not for me.

I would add appreciation of the little things. I now see them all around me and feel a kind of contentment.

[snowbear]

I love this post. Like others, I especially love the 'curiosity about life'.

This is something I have developed in recent months/years after substantially improving. It is an amazing thing. Until recently, I honestly didn't feel I deserved anything, and I felt no curiosity about life as a result - it was something for other people, not for me.

I would add appreciation of the little things. I now see them all around me and feel a kind of contentment.

-Curiosity about life

-Developing the belief you deserve better

-Appreciation of little things & experiencing a sense of contentment

These are three important steps psychologists identify in helping ourselves to recover. You are well on your way GBG!

[Em24]

Really good post

My incentives are:

Watching my children grow up and ENJOYING every minute of being a parent, the time flys so quickly!

Getting back my self esteem/self confidence. Also getting healthier and loosing weight.

Keeping my mobile hairdressing going and building up my services I offer by going on some new treatment courses and education.

One day I would like to get involved in helping others with OCD and Anxiety problems. Raising awareness and/or working in a support centre like telephone helplines or training to be a counsellor.

[gingerbreadgirl]

-Curiosity about life

-Developing the belief you deserve better

-Appreciation of little things & experiencing a sense of contentment

These are three important steps psychologists identify in helping ourselves to recover. You are well on your way GBG!

thanks snow bear, although having massive blip at the moment so may have spoken too soon!

I am still hopeful of beating this one day, though.

Edited November 2, 2015 by gingerbreadgirl

[snowbear]

thanks snow bear, although having massive blip at the moment so may have spoken too soon!

I am still hopeful of beating this one day, though.

That makes two of us. :crybaby:

Determined not to give up or give in though...

Hope I'm still boxing back later in the week!

[taurean]

Setting goals sensibly is important.

People entering the fray determined to get "cured" in a short period will find disappointment. Managing is the sensible goal, and time to get to know what you are dealing with, and how to deal with it, is vital.

My wife and i were talking today about the CBT I have had - from 5 different experienced-in-OCD private practitioners - and whilst one to one therapy and using thought logs is powerful, the books "Break Free From OCD" and "Brainlock" are incredibly good at letting people know what they are dealing with, and how to do it, for those awaiting therapy or can't get it.

I would recommend people by "Break Free" anyway, whether waiting for therapy or not - because it is specific to OCD from a CBT perspective.

[Guest BonfireDog]

I think my incentive became, in the end, about love. I was determined not to destroy what I had with my partner (now of seven years). I visualised the various points in the life that we might take together... buying a house/living together, getting married (maybe), having children, getting thousands of dogs, buying an old derelict house and doing it up (both of our dreams) and how the state I was in would prevent that. I suppose in the end it was my worries about the future (that I would end up alone, hated, suicidal or whatever) that made me realise that I didn't want that for my future.

The problem was, it was the OCD that was driving me towards being alone, rather than the obsessions coming true themselves!

[Guest Bambi98]

I'd like to go to university. It's a long shot and I wouldn't know where to start because I missed my GCSEs but it's what I've always wanted.

Edited November 4, 2015 by Bambi98

[Guest Ryguyoc47]

Thank you for posting this

I want all of those things for myself too. I've given up in a sense, struggling at work, I question my sanity daily, haven't seen my therapist or meditated in a month.

After reading this post however, I am inspired, and want to work so much harder.

A help group counselor I met this year, a nun named sister Lisa, told me that nobody deserves this obsessive anxiety.

I'm highly agnostic, but in this matter, I agree with her 100%

If you spend as much time suffering, If you beat yourself up ,and If you give up on yourself as much as I do, My heart truly and deeply goes out to you

If you don't think you're good enough to beat this, or deserve to, just know that I do think you are good enough and think you do deserve more than this.

Again, thank you for all of your posts, and Orwell1984 for sharing your incentives

[Guest]

Wow! you're welcome!!

[bendylouise]

My incentive - to feel exited ab life and wanting 2 live and able 2 think freely to have real experiences, to join in.

Edited November 14, 2015 by bendylouise

[Guest BonfireDog]

I'd like to go to university. It's a long shot and I wouldn't know where to start because I missed my GCSEs but it's what I've always wanted.

Bambi, this is not impossible, even with missed GCSEs. It will be a lot of hard work, but you can do so much from your own home these days, remotely on the web. If you could dedicate some time to it, you could get GCSEs and A-Levels, and then there are lots of options for universities. I am learning to code online at the moment; it's amazing what we have at our fingertips.