You are advocating for yourself and others with a mental illness (June 21 column), which is one of the Foundational Principles of Recovery.
The other five concepts – wow – you manage to include most of them, also: Hope, support, eduction, personal responsibility, and spirituality.
And, of course, you already know that laughter and seeing the humorous side of things is a very goad wellness tool! With the joke your niece told you, you point out that a person does have a choice about how to respond.
Lest anyone think that religion is a Foundational Principle, I want to point out that spirituality can mean: finding a meaning and purpose in one’s life, and/or gaining a sense of identity, based on one’s beliefs, which might include, but not necessarily, a relationship with the Divine or a power greater than oneself.
Our DBSA Coles County Support Group (Depression and Bipolar Alliance) used to meet in a church basement, which I know might be a deterrent to some. We are oh, so grateful to the First Christian Church for the use of their facilities. But, as of last week, the group meets in Charleston’s Recreation Department Offices: 520 Jackson, Charleston. (Thank you, Brian Jones!)
The support group meets from 7 to 8:30 p.m. every Thursday.
More information may be found through DBSAlliance.org, our national base, and from that site one may access info about our local group by looking at chapter web pages in Illinois. And one may call me at 348-0200 for more info.
Of course, we extend a special invitation to Penny, but also want everyone to know that anyone with any type of mood disorder is welcome, along with any family members or friends who would like to learn more about the illness that affects the person they care about, as well as gain information about how to best support him/her.
By ARLENE HARRELL, for DBSA Coles County