Log Your Recovery Journey

I am continuing from my earlier blog, ‘Deliberation on Self-Diggers’. I did mention that, if you do recognize yourself as one of the ‘Self-Diggers’, please get mental-health professional (MHP) services. A timeline was also given, so that you will have up to 24 months of a planned progression of your total recovery.

After you have made your appointment, make sure that you get yourself a notebook that you can log down your activities, in form of a simple yet effective journal. I call this a Log-Journal. Three days before your scheduled date, write down in that book, three major issues, you wish to address or speak about. Normally, you will have one hour per session. Any longer will cost more money and anyhow, it will not be really productive too.

When asked what your issues are, you can begin to present, the three major issues first and let your MHP decide on which topic they wish to address, after profiling you. Once you begin to address the issues, step by step, take note of your understanding and plans on how you wish to overcome them. Thus, when you return home, take your journal out again, and write down in simple steps, what was the agreed executions that you had spoken with your MHP. Do not write long stories, as I said, it is a Log-Journal, not your Dear Diary. This is similar to someone writing down their goals and related tasks to execute. The idea remains the same.

Now, you can review your planned goals and tasks effectively from your Log-Journal. Again, you need to address one issue at a time, to overcome and reinforce the required changes within you, either in ‘Acceptance’, ‘Acknowledgement’ or ‘Execution’. So, before you go for your next meeting, again, three days before, review your Log-Journal and write down three major checklist on what have you ‘Achieved’, ‘Executed’ and ‘Regressed’. In each of them, do not write more than three realizations or awareness you had.

When you keep a written record of your progress,
your self-recovery will show results.
Maximus @ MaximusPrimo.com

From your Regressed List, identify and write, no more than three reasons, what caused you to do so. You can then bring this up to the attention of your MHP at your next meeting, so that they can identify your development plans in a more objective manner. Remember me saying this, “ In order for you to be helped, you must be able to begin to help yourself ”. Thus, the objective of having a Log-Journal, is for you to initiate your own acknowledgement to your mental-health issues and to keep a record of your progress.

Keep your objectives listed in the Log-Journal well within your vision. You need to understand that being strong mentally and emotionally, where else showing everyone that you are strong, becomes two different things. You can easily put up a facade, whilst in reality, you are a shipwreck.

The first and foremost realization you need, is acknowledgement that you need help. There is no disgrace nor embarrassment in doing so. As I said before, lift your chin up, look straight and speak with confidence. No one is going to judge you, the way you are judging yourself.

In due time, if you have kept your Log-Journal updated, as per my suggestion, and keep reviewing them to record your progress as well, you will begin to realize your changes. Within the first 12 months, you will already establish stronger routines, steps in your daily life progression looks much easier to execute, and the resultant will start showing its reward.

For the following 12 months, which is assigned for one meeting per month, it’s your time to reinforce your level of confidence, that you already rooted within yourself. Through the next one year, you will already have planned your next course of action, in your Time-Planner. You are now on your way to travel the journey to the vast oceans, as your ship is stronger and better in many ways.