Oooo, I love that - I am not defined by my illness. I used to go to AA mtgs in a women's jail. That was the first time I paid attention when a girl said she is not a victim she is a survivor. I also felt weak and mainly afraid to tell anyone what really was going on in my brain. I guess I thought I would be locked up or called a deviant. I was misdiagnosed for many years by many people in the mental health field.

I absolutely agree that improvement almost never comes from a pill alone. A lot of what I did was self-medicate and that made everything worse. Today, I exercise, eat healthy, avoid toxic people & places, and do self-guided meditation. I want to get into yoga and 5x a week I walk on a trail in the woods. I try to keep a schedule, read inspirational and spiritual books about all different religions, and keep the clutter out of my house because it clutters my brain.

I just learned that taking deep breaths really helps anxiety and nerves. On my last inpatient visit my nerves were throwing my blood pressure through the roof. After a nurse intervened, I paid attention and was taking quick, shallow breaths, almost hyperventilating. In the past, I had always just taken a pill or a drink so I had no coping skills to reference.