Courage: Going beyond your Comfort Zone

Take the first steps....

I have heard that personal growth and achievement can truly happen when a person goes beyond their “comfort zone” and does something out of character to really “shake things up”. Now this is hard to do because complacency is just so well…comfortable.  In my years of writing I have never written (in a public format anyway) about my own struggles with depression and bi-polar disorder. 

Yet, in light of the current changing social fabric, there exists a real need to change our attitudes about mental health issues. We need to stress the importance of free discussions about these health concerns.  It truly is a public health issue, not a “private concern” to be kept behind closed doors. If a mental health concern only affected the person afflicted, then yes, it could remain private, but all too often it affects family and others in the community.  My hope in having open discussions on this topic is that it will help others to be more willing to change and perhaps lead us all towards helpful, viable solutions. If nothing else, I hope people can become more open about discussing mental health issues.

I was prompted to write this after viewing a PBS special entitled: “God Knows where I am.”  It is the true story of a well-educated New Hampshire woman who was diagnosed with severe Bi-Polar disorder and psychosis. She received psychiatric care and had several family members working to help her cope with her illness. After years of fluctuating results in her progress, she had made the decision to refuse treatment and any medications. She secured a voluntary release from the hospital and with her new found freedom consciously adopted a homeless lifestyle.

She had left the hospital in early October and was able to find shelter in an abandoned farmhouse, not too far from a main road. There were orchards nearby and she collected apples to store up before the snows of winter hit. She kept an accurate journal of all her thoughts and how she would ration all the apples. She took a bucket and melted snow for drinking water. Even though she was free from the constraints of a hospital, she imprisoned herself in the abandoned farmhouse until she starved to death. This was a very powerful program that brings up many important issues about society’s treatment of the mentally ill and displaced. A panel after the program brought forward many of the problems of both the medical and legal communities in dealing with these issues. Patient rights have to be addressed and this issue was commented on by Carol Bernstein, with the American Psychiatric Association. She states: 

  

“These are disorders that affect how people think and how they observe things and how they understand things. When that abuts up against the issue of somebody’s rights of who they are and where they are…..we have a conflict in society.”

Recognizing and pin pointing these issues in dealing with mental illness is the first step in finding viable solutions and quality care.

My story has a much happier outcome than that of Linda Bishop. My illness first surfaced as post-partum depression and then I was later diagnosed with Bi-Polar disorder. I was fortunate in that I received good care and had a wonderful family that supported me throughout. My illness was not quite as intense, profound or long-lasting as hers. I remember on several occasions my psychiatrist telling me: “Not to worry, you basically have Baby Bi-Polar”. I guess every mental illness can have varying degrees and levels, just as there are so many differing personalities.

Yet, the important thing to remember is that it is a silent disease, with no outward visible signs of suffering. Therefore, to help each other we HAVE to learn to talk about mental illness and take away the shame. It’s probably more prevalent then we realize.

It’s therapeutic for me to talk (and write) about my own struggles.  Perhaps this opens the door for me (and others I hope) to begin discussions on the topic. I hope this helps myself and others to go beyond the “comfort zone” and open our eyes to new growth.