Here’s the thing about mental health recovery.
I made this analogy on the spot while I was writing a rant, and a couple of my friends encouraged me to share it here, so here it is.
Let’s pretend that recovery is a vehicle.
You have to put the vehicle into drive, and then you have to push on the gas pedal if you want to move forward. Alongside that, though?
You’ll have to stop for red lights and signs.
You’re going to go slower on a side street than you will on a highway.
You might have to slam on the breaks, and you might be panicky afterwards.
You might react to bad traffic. You might get mad, you might get stressed, you might even cry. (Note, by the way: The emotions you feel when you’re stressed by external circumstances don’t last for long.)
You might get stuck and have to call for help.
After everything, though, the point is — you’ll reach your destination. Despite the difficulties that you could go through while you’re driving, despite the detours you may have to take, after all of it, you’re going to make it somehow.
It might be different than what you expected; you might be late you might have to take a taxi, who knows? You’re still going to make it.
Or, maybe you don’t — and then you know what happens? You reschedule what you were on your way too, and you get there another time.
The point is that you can’t leave the car in park and expect to go anywhere. You can’t hit the brakes and never let go of them. The car isn’t going to drive itself, and people can’t drive you around constantly.
Even if you use other means, like public transportation, walking, biking.. You have to pay for that transportation or you move yourself forwards or you plan ahead of time — you put the action into motion.
Recovery can be full of obstacles that you didn’t expect. It can be littered with minor or even major mistakes, but it doesn’t mean it’s the end. It’s only the end when you give up. It’s only the end when you decide that it is.
dededos
gummygunk
jacobvanloon
titsay
germansingergirl
