from Gerald Butler:
5/1/2008
Mental Health Month
Letter to Consumers
In celebration of Mental Health Month we are asking consumers to dedicate this month to their own personal recovery. I am requesting that for the next 30 days we put the negativity in our lives on the back burner, and spend this month enjoying our recovery. This will be for only 30 days after which I guarantee you’ll feel better about yourself. The better you feel about yourself, the better your recovery. We are asking for you to treat yourself with the respect and dignity you deserve. Following are just a few suggestions, as I know each one of you will have better ideas
Support your brothers and sisters in recovery, when they speak, hear them, as you would like to be heard for their daily struggles are the same as yours. Remain humble, but remember, due to your suffering, (the hotter the fire the purer the gold) you have earned the same respect as anyone else. Practice forgiving yourself, it becomes easier to forgive your brothers and sisters. As you learn to love yourself, so you learn to love others. If you make a mistake, apologize to those you may have harmed, but by all means, be sure to keep moving. Walk proud, with integrity and your head held high because not only have you survived but you have also chosen to help others and that makes you heroic.
If you are good on the computer, try a new program. If you’re an artist, try painting something you always wanted to paint. If you are a musician, songwriter, or singer, join the Recovery Band. If you are good at managing an office, maybe check into taking a course, or applying for a new job. Seek out leaders who believe in you. By devoting these next 30 days to doing whatever it is you do best, we can’t guarantee success. We can assure that by ‘Empowerment Day’, (the 30th of this month) you’ll feel better about yourself, and hopefully want to work harder towards your recovery.
Gerald Butler
Peer Support Specalist
