I had a horribly difficult time accepting my new life post mental breakdown. For 5+ years I grieved the incredibly active lifestyle I led before my mental break. I had been manic for near a year and consequently had lived rather high on the hog spending a great deal of money on having fun and pursuing extreme outdoor activities and other risky behaviour.

After I got sick I couldn't look at water without grieving over being unable to kayak. I couldn't look at a tree without remembering the forests I once explored, and so on.

So what made the difference? A healthy relationship led to a change in my perspective and that while my life is nowhere near the exciting one it once was, I have every reason to be content with it.