Getting High on Recovery

Recovery.

Some people define it as a period of reorganization after a major business loss. Other people think of recovery as what happens on Sunday morning after a few nights of just a little too much fun.

Recovery means a lot to me. 12 months ago I was just a few months into my recovery from the deepest depression of my life. Depression can be devastating and it can change your life. The changes are often slow, but you can change for the better. Depression, anxiety, PTSD, addiction, schizophrenia, bipolar disorder are not a life-sentence. You can recover.

In fact, one of the things that I learned from my experience with depression is this:

Listening to depression has changed my life. It can even make you a better human being.

To read more about my story, click on this article: Depression will make you a better human being.

TODAY is BELL Canada’s National Let’s Talk Day. For the next 24 hours, every hashtag and every call will result in a 5 cent donation to mental health programming in Canada. 5 cents can’t buy anything these days, but Bell has donated over $6 Million to mental health initiatives.

Whether you are a part of BELL’s network or not, there are many ways to be involved:

1. Facebook: Every time you view the Bell Let’s Talk video. Please view the video and share it.
2. Twitter: Use the hashtag #BellLetsTalk
3. Instagram: Hashtag #BellLetsTalk
4. Snapchat: Each time you send a snap using the Bell Let’s Talk geofilter on January 25, Bell will donate 5¢ more to mental health initiatives.
5. Call, using your BELL cell phone or home phone. If you are part of the BELL network, just picking up the phone and calling ANYONE in your life will result in a five cent donation!
6. Text message: If you are a BELL subscriber, each text will result in a five cent donation.
7. Last, you can talk. Tell your story or listen to another person’s story. Chances are, one of your friends has experienced a mental health reality in the past 12 months. Listen to their story because just talking can change a life. In fact, it can make you a better human being.

Paying attention has taught me that I need depression. It is my bodies way of getting my attention. The pain stops me before I cause myself serious injury. In this way, depression has saved my life.

I write articles about wellness, leadership, parenting and personal growth. My hope is to deliver the best content I can to inspire, to inform and to entertain. Sign up for my blog if you want to receive the latest and best of my writing. If you like what I have to say, please share my work with your friends.

Lastly, if you like my writing, you can click here to vote for my page on Psych Central’s list of mental health blogs.

Keep it Real

Photo: Bell Let’s Talk