Riffing on Robin Cunningham's series on coping skills, I'd like to every so often give you my own. Here I'll talk about three habits that will serve you well in your recovery. Think of these skills as hanging on a clothesline that you can pull closer when needed to access each one.

1. Strive to be well.

It seems counter-intuitive that a person recovers because of the actions he or she takes, yet medication alone doesn't do the trick. I'm often reminded of two people I know who live with...