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Recovery is Reaching Out
By Cynthia Brooks
Recovery is helping yourself and others achieve full potential in life. Recovery combined with person-centered planning is a way of making dreams a reality and independence a way of life. Recovery demands a positive environment for growth to occur.
Learning to develop and maintain a strong support system is very important in recovery. Telling a friend or family member the things most important in your life can be both uplifting and validating. It helps when we talk to other people who have been through similar situations or are recovering from the same conditions as we are.
My best friend is someone I met when I fell into a deep depression. I had isolated myself from many people at that time, feeling down and sad. I had little energy to develop outside interests or friendships. My supervisor was very close to Mary and saw many similarities in the two of us. She suggested that we get together and talk or go to lunch. Both of us were lonely and depressed but over time we developed a strong rapport and found we had many things in common. Over a three-year period we became best friends. Today when I want to get away or visit someone I know Mary is someone who always leaves me feeling better about myself after each visit.
If you are feeling down and isolated there are many ways to develop new friendships. Try developing natural supports by joining a support group, getting to know people at work or school, taking a class, going to an exercise club and/or joining a special interest group.
Stay positive and once you have formed friendships try to keep in touch. Sometimes it is hard with a busy lifestyle but a simple phone call makes all the difference. Remember, to have a friend you have to be a friend. Keep confidential information confidential and listen to the other person with as much attentiveness as they listen to you. Respect each others feelings and above all never laugh at someone's deepest thoughts.
