Skip to main content

Coping in the Spirit


I am fighting schizoaffective disorder every day through my spirituality! Living with mental health concerns is challenging. Constantly, I am reflecting on my relationships, self-care demands, and responsibilities, and commitments. Currently, I am challenged most by controlling my high energy, and thought-processes regarding my general interactions, and work. But I maintain hope. A combination of mania, the side effects of my medication, and concerns with self-motivation to perform is a frequent concern. However, I strive to practice balance among my list of general coping skills that I use. I communicate closely with my treatment team; psychiatric doctor and therapist, and I also vocalize concerns with those that I can trust within my circle of influence.

In other words, I am managing both schizophrenia and bipolar disorder daily through medication, faith in my medication, and effort to maintain optimism, and self-care! Every day I strive to maintain wellness by focusing on balancing my wants and demands with stress management activities. Because life is stressful, in spite, of daily events, which can be good and not so good, I strive to add relaxation moments. These moments are not costly nor timely. Instead my self-care regimen is subtle. I carry out increments of relaxation based on the activity at-hand! Some of the self-care activities I practice include: walks, word search puzzles, house chores, taking longer baths opposed to showers, reading inspirational material, listening to music, and writing, and speaking with family and friends. Overall, my top three coping activities that help me manage my conditions are reading inspirational material, listening to music, and cleaning my home.

My problem is my mental illness, of course, but I know I can still live a good life through faith and hope. I identify as spiritual, and read scriptures. In fact, I will share specific scriptures that helps me overcome my fleeting negative thoughts associated with the diagnoses of living with schizophrenia, and bipolar disorder. The scriptures that inspire me the most include the following from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation:

  1. Isaiah 38:15-17 New Living Translation (NLT) 15 But what could I say? For he himself sent this sickness. Now I will walk humbly throughout my years because of this anguish I have felt. 16 Lord, your discipline is good, for it leads to life and health. You restore my health and allow me to live! 17 Yes, this anguish was good for me, for you have rescued me from death and forgiven all my sins. 
  2. Ecclesiastes 7:13 New Living Translation (NLT) Accept the way God does things, for who can straighten what he has made crooked?
  3. Psalm 139:13-18 New Living Translation (NLT) 13 You made all the delicate, inner parts of my body and knit me together in my mother’s womb. 14 Thank you for making me so wonderfully complex! Your workmanship is marvelous—how well I know it. 15 You watched me as I was being formed in utter seclusion, as I was woven together in the dark of the womb. 16 You saw me before I was born. Every day of my life was recorded in your book. Every moment was laid out before a single day had passed. 17 How precious are your thoughts about me, [a] O God. They cannot be numbered! 18 I can’t even count them; they outnumber the grains of sand! And when I wake up, you are still with me!

The above inspirational scriptures give me hope, and personally connect me to The One. Despite being diagnosed at age 20, and now being in recovery for a few years with a young child, I am still open to information, additional ways to practice coping with my diagnoses, and life, as well as embracing self-care needs. I share my lived experience to minister to myself, and to empower others.

Whenever I journal, which is often, I record my daily reflections to God that may include a scripture, prayer, and affirmation. Although I am open about my diagnosis, it is still a delicate topic of discussion, as you can wholeheartedly understand! Because, the “Overcoming Schizophrenia,” blog is my journal to you, and my God, I’ll create another special prayer, and affirmation- just for you!

My God, my God. Thank You. I thank You for another opportunity to share our story, in order, to reach somebody that needs validation, and reassurance. Because You love me the way I am, I am grateful! I know I am loved even when I do not show it to myself as strong as You do, because of my trials and mind wars. However, today, this moment, I will give thanks again for You, for my life! I love You, I need You. And I will overcome my concerns the best I can with what I have- on Your schedule, because it is already done! Amen.

Lastly, I leave you with this scripture that further inspires me to share my recovery experience, to minister to myself, and to continue coping in the Spirit.

Proverbs 31:8 New Living Translation (NLT) Speak up for those who cannot speak for themselves…



I, thank you. Take care, Ashley Smith.





Labels:

Comments

Unknown said…
Thank you Ashley for sharing the scriptures that help you cope!! I also use spirituality as one of the many tools for coping with my mental health challenges. I highlighted the ones that help you. Thanks again!!
October 29, 2018 at 9:02 AM
Ashley Smith said…
Awesome!- I am glad... Ashley
October 29, 2018 at 11:32 AM
Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Religious Preoccupation

After a talk, a woman asked me if my faith contributed to my recovery because she noticed that I mentioned it throughout my speech. In addition to that, she told me that she observed people with faith as having a better outcome in their mental health recovery. First, I came from a family with Christian values. My faith in God started to get intense during the latter years of high school, which in my opinion, is when I started having symptoms. In my experience religion plays a major role in my mental health- its delusions, its coping skills, and in my recovery. In medical terms they call my religious rituals and delusions "religious preoccupation." Before I was diagnosed I was highly religious. In fact, I wanted to be an evangelist and to go to a Christian college. I would read my Bible for several hours a day throughout the day, listen to hymns, and meditate. Sometimes I would ignore people if they wanted my attention while I was meditating I was in such deep thought. Also, I...
15 comments
Read more

What Is Remission?

Remission is the absence of symptoms for at least six months with the support of medication. In other words, a doctor who has never seen you before may not diagnose you as a person with schizophrenia anymore. Remission is also high functioning in several aspects of life, living independently, goinig to school or to work, and socializing with other people. However, this does not mean the patient is cured or the illness has went away, the illness is still present, however, under control. Remission is achieved with the assistance of medication. "Published studies suggest that 10% to 20% of people with schizophrenia have remission of their illness as they get older, 20% get worse, but in a large majority (60% to 70%), the course of illness remains relatively unchanged." To reach remission it is recommended that you aim for a stress-free environment. Therefore, do things to relieve stress such as journaling, exercising, talking to friends, listening to or creating music, making a...
9 comments
Read more

The Path that God Chose for Me

I am not upset that I have schizophrenia, this is the life God chose for me. The other day I was telling my mother I am glad I took a break from school, but I wish I had taken it sooner so that I could have recognized my illness sooner. She reminded me that everything happens for a reason, and that had I took a break sooner I would not have been able to know my full potential in college and in life. I went to college and got really involved in it through sports, internships, and mentoring peers. I was involved in so many things, school, church, home, friends, family, you name it! She was right, I am glad I took the path I took. I did not always have schizophrenia, but now that I have it I will work hard to overcome it. I try not to use the word schizophrenic because that identifies the person by their illness and that isn't fair. I am Ashley and I have schizophrenia. I will not let it limit my potential or define who I am. I can and will overcome these symptoms with medication, the...
23 comments
Read more