After spending years trying to deal with and manage a loved one’s mental illness, a certain nostalgia can happen in yearning for simpler days. There were times when the family wasn’t torn apart by arguments, held back from someone’s depression, or focused around drug addiction. Simpler times had happier days before mental illness of any kind became part of the family dynamic.
Mental illness can feel like an unwanted cousin, the trouble maker who never quite fits in, is always the odd one out, and seems to bring the worst out in everyone. Unfortunately, even with treatment, mental illness never goes away. If you define normal as that time before a loved one developed a mental illness, you are going to have to redefine normalcy. Things will get better. You and your entire family will heal, change, and grow, together. Recovery becomes the new normal after a loved one gets treatment. Time simply doesn’t move backwards. It can only go forwards.
Moving forward after bringing recovery home means developing a system of support for the whole family. There will still be bad days and difficult days. With addiction, there could even be relapse. Don’t get discouraged. Together you are finding the best way to create peace and harmony in the home.
One of the most frustrating parts of trying to cope with mental illness is not understanding mental illness. The most important thing you can understand is that mental illness isn’t for you to understand. However, doing your part to learn about your loved one’s diagnosis, asking them what it’s like to live with it, and how you can best support them, is for you to do.
When your loved one goes to treatment you will likely have the opportunity to participate in family therapy or attend a family intensive weekend at the treatment center. During those times, professionals in the field will educate you on what your loved one is going through, what they are learning in treatment, and how you can help them at home.
Treatment is a time for you to do the work, too. While your loved one is away it can be helpful to attend counseling or therapy to work through the emotions you’ve had to endure while they have been sick. Addiction and mental illness are family diseases. Recovery is a family journey.
Hired Power is here for bringing recovery home. Our recovery services are trusted to help the family focus on healing while we handle the details. For more information, call 800-910-9299.