I have been reading books on mental health written for professional practitioners. NOT for psychiatrists, but for therapists. They are therapeutic. Ones for psychiatrists are very very depressing and I don’t recommend it. I’ll be sharing details from ones that are helpful.
I bought these books a little while back in an urge to commit myself to health and wellness for the long haul. I see this as an improvement in itself, because people with schizoaffective disorder often lack the will to self-care and are either overly self-protective or completely reckless about their wellbeing and future. I speak from my own experience when I say that that has definitely been the case with me. I had to be the person to buy the book – don’t buy books for people with mental illness. It needs to be intrinsically motivated when we research our condition(s).
One book I have been reading is called Treating Psychosis: A Clinician’s Guide to Integrating Acceptance and Commitment Therapy, Compassion-Focused Therapy & Mindfulness Approaches within the Cognitive Behavioral Therapy Tradition, by a whole lot of people (there are 8 authors, the first one listed is Nicola P. Wright, PhD, CPsych). It is written for clinicians and so perhaps wouldn’t be useful for a lay person. I have a master’s in literature and my coursework emphasized aspects of psychology and psychological frameworks. This book was so good that I told my psychiatrist/therapist to please buy the book and we’re working through it. I am therapy resistant, but with this framework I am making progress. I lead our discussions and send him my filled out worksheets when I feel safe doing so.
One of the most useful things the book has said is that we need to identify our values in life and also set SMART goals (Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Realistic, and Time Limited).
For examples of values I’ll share mine: Artistic, Forgiving, Health oriented, Leader, Learner, and Visionary. Goals are more personal, so I won’t share mine.
The great thing about aligning values with goals is that if we have symptoms and can’t meet our goals on any given day, then we can still live by our values. This provides meaning and motivation for me to stay in the game of life and to feel fulfilled doing so.
We can always choose compassionate action. That’s a value for a lot of people with stigmatizing health conditions and it’s important.
I can always do art. Being artistic is one of my values. Even when I was hospitalized, we had art days where we drew mandalas. This seems childish, but given where I was developmentally at that point, it was actually a very therapeutic exercise. You don’t have to be a good artist. Just play with colors and pastels or something. This is just one example.
Don’t forget I’m not a therapist and that this isn’t medical advice and that every situation is different. I’m just sharing my own experience. But the book is comprehensive and its whole approach is like floaties they put on kids to learn to swim. These 8 authors have thought of everything. They know what they’re talking about.
If you want to learn about my journey to faith and balance in the face of two hospitalizations with schizoaffective disorder, and how I find meaning and live with joy, consider reading my book. It’s free and maybe it will be one of many lenses that help you get back on your feet:
https://erinmichaelgrimm.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/emergentgracefinal9.26.2020.pdf
Erin Michael Grimm 