10 Step Plan
Submitted by sweetmadness on Tue, 02/10/2009 - 10:35amI wasn't aware that a diagnosis isn't always 'permanent' or 'official' thing and thought that it was something held against me. Since that had been my experience at a young age.
Now that I am older, I realize that there are laws so that people can't hold you against your will for no reason. Now that I am no longer afraid I have realized that I have more of a sleep sort of illness than anything. Why I have come to this conclusion is that if I get healthy rest I feel just the same as if I took abilify, even better in all honesty.
Now I won't just go 'it was this it was that' but 'it was schizophrenia to blame!' now I know the true source of my mental suffering/illness has been mainly traumatic events and habitual behaviors that I had grown accustomed to. Or maybe one combination of things....but not one thing was solely to blame including some 'chemical' factor that could never be cured. Such as having too heavy a release of dopamine in the brain.
Nothing is for sure, and therefore no one can ever be truly cured of ANYTHING! That's the beauty of saying something is permanent...but not even tangible. Like, Cancer or Alcoholism can never truly be cured....nothing except maybe a kidney transplant can be considered a CURE.
10 Steps to Getting Better Naturally
You can do this WITH the help of your doctor, which would probably help a whole lot. But if they are unwilling you can still do it, but it is almost imperative to have a support system and friends who will be there to guide you back to freedom from dependence on the illness and drugs.
Before you take the 10 step plan you have to have some of your own methods for coping with tapering off the medications. Needs a fallback plan that isn't something like 'going to a hospital' let's be honest it just isn't a good fallback plan. So you need a fallback plan, like just sink into your bed and relax. Forget about the problems and just release the tension, the worries melt away.
There are also doctors who do orthomolecular therapy, but if you aren't willing to spend more $$$ money on this then I suggest just do some research on your own. And granted, not everyone can do it on their own but this is MY way, that I am attempting. I am not telling anyone to do this...it's just the method that's working for me.
If you start out with how much you have, then try taking it down a bit every other day and use these steps it will make the progress of getting back to yourself naturally work better.
Step one: Convince yourself you are well in every way or even write a list of all the positive aspects of who you are.
Step two: Release the anger and stress in artistic and poetic ways, and don't dwell on your problems
Step three: exercise, eat less junk foods and less sugary things, and enjoy the music
*Important!
Step four: Try to find some healthy replacement for neurological drugs/medications. For me it is occasionally coffee in the morning and usually melatonin in the evening. Try to Fix sleep problems...which anti-pscychotics all seem to mess with sleep.
In my case I am using Melatonin. For you it might be chamomile, or it may be something else that works better for you. Melatonin works amazingly for me. But It's only a temporary thing, so far.
BTW I got mine over the counter at the grocery store.
Step Five: Try and do happy things and look on happy side to everything, not dwell on hurts or hold grudges anymore. This will help you deal with the stress of going off meds and with dealing with schizophrenia.
Step Six: Contribute, as much as you can so that you feel like you are worth something...even if it starts out small. Like getting a part time job.
Step Seven: Visualize things and sharpen your memory. Don't get too absorbed in conflict, try aversion techniques to deal with abusive relationships and remove yourself from the situation without becoming involved.
Step Eight: Well this is just another version of step Three, but do everything you can to WAKE UP in the morning. It helps get a person feeling well and healthy.
Step Nine: Accept yourself for who you are, and begin to feel better about yourself. Love yourself, and while it's good to hear others' opinions it isn't good if they are deprecating of your true self.
And finally Step TEN: Continue the process because this is a part of life, coping, and gaining new perspectives. You're cured.