Take responsibility for your own recovery

"I have been eating well, on the whole, trying to get enough sleep and exercising regularly. I think all of these things are really important to recovery" ~ Mother and Peer Support Worker Team Leader

How a self-help book helped heal this woman's life

"Hi, my name is Nick. I grew up with a father who was very critical and negative. He used to put me and my brothers down quite a lot. My mum did her best and she was loving, but I think she found it hard raising three children.

I remember worrying about a lot of things as a very young child and being very sensitive. As I grew older, around the age of seven, I began to have sleeping problems.

Every night would be a battle to get to sleep and I was terribly phobic about the slightest little noise. I felt like I couldn't sleep unless it was completely quiet. This lasted until I was about 11. But I was still worried about a lot of things, including the fact I thought I was ‘dumb' and would not be able to achieve anything at school.

When I was around the age of 15, I got pregnant and had to have an abortion. I think this affected me deeply. My parents thought the best solution was to send me away to boarding school.

However, I left school when I was 16 and continued my out of control ways. This went on for years until I had my daughter at age 23 to a guy who didn't want to have anything to do with either me or her.

During the pregnancy and after the birth, I was terribly depressed but didn't really realise it. The one thing that kept me going was a book by Louise Hay You Can Heal Your Life. I started doing some of the things the book suggested, like positive affirmations, and this seemed to help. I feel like that book saved my life.

For the last four years I have been eating well, on the whole, trying to get enough sleep and exercising regularly. I think all of these things are really important to recovery. I still struggle with stress from time to time, but on the whole I have a pretty good life.

Of course, there is a lot more to my life than what I have written about, like getting a Bachelor of Education and a Diploma of Teaching, and working for Mind and Body as a Peer Support Worker Team Leader. The most important thing is that I believe I have made my life successful through taking responsibility for my own recovery and believing that I can do it!!"