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 symptoms of schizophrenia even though they take meds, and yet manage their illness and function. The secret is that the medication promotes neurogenesis, or the renewal of brain cells, so that we CAN function. Yet is that all there is to life--functionality? Now more than ever, it's possible to be well. One of the women I refer to recovered after two decades of struggle.

A regular at the Connection wondered if other people are stuck--just when the good times roll, do you retreat into an old habit. I want to clarify my response here. I know all too well what it's like to be stuck--either by choice or simply a symptom of the sz. So the skeptics among you are going to ask, "How can a person strive to be well?" That is the great good fight for all of us. There comes a point when maintaining the status quo takes all your effort, so in reality change is in order so that you can grow. I've decided I can't beat on myself any more for imagined sins. Tonight, I'm going to call a long-lost friend, risk his response, and see how it goes. At the end of this blog entry, I'll share the results. He and two others I felt were casualties from the effects of the Stelazine not working. For too long, I was stuck in that feeling and it immobilized me. I realize now that there is no easy, so you keep on moving forward no matter how hard it is.

This is my intention: that we can't rely on an outsider to determine how well we're doing. We need to look at ourselves with a kind eye. Sometimes the changes happen inch-by-inch when we hold up an internal tape measure. The flip is not to settle for less just because others don't expect much of us. If you read the University of Pennsylvania study linked to in the "Latest Schizophrenia News" section of the Connection, you'll see members of the public believe people with sz need treatment, yet feel it's unlikely we'll improve. This is an outright version of glass ceiling-stigma. When confronted with this, I only want to try harder to smash the barrier.

So what can we do? Strive to be well. It isn't easy, yet it is within reach. To quote Bill MacPhee, the founder and publisher of Schizophrenia Digest, the goal is not to set the bar high, but to set it.

2. Remain Proactive.

To stay on top of the sz is my goal. So it won't end-there's no point at which I can say I no longer need to be vigilant. Given the chance, the schizophrenia will find an opening, and enter through the back door when I'm not looking. This isn't to suggest recovery is a chore. Simply, it requires that we remain proactive. Taking initiative to manage our illness actually makes it easier to recover. The passive approach-whereby I allow people and events to act on me and determine how I feel about my life-hardly bodes well for instilling mental health. It is my life's goal to stay out of the hospital. If I were to achieve only that, I'd be a happy camper and feel I was doing well.