First, a little background info about what happened for three weeks! Almost everything we did was done in a group setting. It was almost like being back in school again, except no one yelled at you if you asked to borrow a pen and the chairs were comfier. The first two hours were spent doing group psychotherapy. One or two staff members led us in a discussion as we took turns sharing how our weekend/yesterday/first week/etc. went and anything else we wanted to talk about. We also did introductions and departing thoughts during this time, since new people started and left the program almost every day. When someone is discharged from the program, they are given a book of positive thoughts and are asked to share one with the group. They also get to pass the book around to get signed like a yearbook.
The next few hours focus on different things. Learning DBT skills take up a good chunk of the day. DBT stands for Dialectical Behavior Therapy. There are four main components to DBT: mindfulness, distress tolerance, interpersonal effectiveness, and emotional regulation. DBT was originally developed to help people with personality disorders, (((side note, "personality disorder" is a stupid name, and I feel like a lot of people don't really know what they are because of assumptions made from said stupid name. Personality is defined as traits, behaviors, or characteristics that make up individuality. So the fact that I always have to wear matching socks is a behavior that is part of my personality. A personality disorder develops when someone adapts a trait/behavior/characteristic that helped them cope in a stressful situation, usually in childhood, but that trait/behavior/characteristic, while it may have been helpful during that time, is no longer helpful in adulthood or when interacting with people who have developed normally. Other factors such as genetics or the environment can play in as well. For example, a child who was abandoned by his parents may have trouble trusting other people later in life, which could lead to job insecurity, isolation, and paranoia.))) but it has been found to be effective for people with all kinds of mental illness. We also had hours that focused on spirituality, occupational therapy, art/activity therapy, and other neat stuff.
One of the skills that I am working on incorporating into my life is practicing gratitude. Sometimes when life gets overwhelming and everything seems like it's going wrong, looking at what you actually have going for you in your life can be an amazing coping mechanism. Plus, I've found that when I regularly practice gratitude, I am able to appreciate and notice the little details in life. Some days, all you might be grateful for is the roof over your head, and that's totally ok. When I was in group, I was given a rock with the word GRATITUDE etched into it. I carry it in my purse or pocket to remind myself that there is ALWAYS something to be thankful for, no matter how yucky I feel inside. In this moment I am grateful for my puppy, Duke because he makes me get up in the morning so I can take him to go potty. I am grateful that Chris will be coming home soon and we can go on the bike ride that we planned. I am also thankful for various social and public programs and services, like the free tax prep help I am getting at the library today. And of course, I'm thankful for all of you out there cheering me on and following my progress :) Mental illness is not something that I or anyone else should have to be ashamed of. We are all human beings. We are all fighting our own battles. We are all doing the best we can for ourselves, and there is amazing strength in that. I would really encourage you to take a few seconds and find something to truly appreciate in your life. It doesn't have to be exorbitant - it can be the fact that you are alive and you have access to internet. Revel in that thought. You have an entire global community at your fingertips. How cool is that? Plus videos of cats.
On a parting note, here is a picture of my super cute puppy! It know it's kind of blurry, but he was just SO EXCITED.
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