I Am Graduating Day Treatment Program

I have been unwell for a such a long time and it seems almost impossible, but I am graduating from day treatment in two weeks! And I am stable. I am functioning. I am even fairly happy most of the time. I am using my skills, and down to three days a week at program now, and have been for the past month.

I am structuring my time using my google calender. I meditate, exercise, and write each day. I take my meds. I am training to be a literacy volunteer, and just signed up for a writing class online. I use the mindfulness and DBT skills I have learned, and do my best to stay centered in the moment. I am looking for a new job, and plan to work from the home office I am putting together. My relationships are the best they have been in years.

I still have some bad days, but I have learned to take them for what they are. They no longer throw me into a spiral of depression, and they do not trigger me into mania. I never knew it was possible to just feel good and be happy without being manic. I am grateful every day.

It is possible to be stable. I hope anyone who might read this will never give up, because when you make it over to the other side, it is so worth it.

Congratulations! Thanks for sharing your success!

Thank you for this post. You sound so centred and optimistic, it made me smile.
Very best wishes. I hope you are at the start of a new phase in your life which will happy and fulfilling.

Thats so awesome to hear! Do u mind if I ask what type of treatment program you're in? I've tried several, and they oddly enough made my symptoms worse.

Redbandit,

It is a program that focuses on mindfulness, meditation, DBT (dialectical behavioral therapy), as well as a lot of art therapy. There are also a number of dual diagnosis groups sprinkled throughout for those who they apply to...

What I took from it was daily meditation (I never thought I "could" do this, btw- but it was taught), mindfulness skills in daily living, and the DBT skills. The three together, if you work them, can be life changing.

The other biggie was learning to structure your time. It is often of benefit to keep things structured for people who are dealing with mental health issues. I know it has become the cornerstone of my sanity. All of these things together were gifts I received from the program.

I hope this sheds some light for you!

Congratulations! That's fantastic.

I moved several states away from the day treatment program I was in 3 years ago, and I still miss it, especially since there's nothing like it down here in FL. I learned about WRAP, the anger meter, and other tools. If anyone is in eastern NE I will gladly recommend it.