Ciara
“I have managed my health with cognitive behavioural therapy techniques, appropriate medication, increasing maturity and awareness, and with great support from doctors, counselors and therapists.
I developed the confidence to intercept that feeling of slipping into a high and [am learning] to think my way well again. To do this, I stop, slow everything down [physically and mentally], remember that I have been here before, and that I have recovered.”
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I did share my diagnosis and some symptoms with friends, and as a result I lost most of the relationships. After losing these friendships, I decided to be more assertive and accept more of what I want in all relationships. I still wish to be easy-going and a soft place for people to fall, but I want to feel equal as well. I placed others on a pedestal too often and some of my past friendships reflected that. I understand that some old friends were afraid of my condition, so they backed away from me. That was their right.
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Before the illness presented in me, I had a very strong mind and true grit, and I still do. I became fed up with feeling unwell, so somewhere in amongst all this, I began to love myself again. When I felt worthy of my own love and support, I began to take small steps toward healing. For a while, I looked up at the sky each day and was amazed by its beauty and enduring quality. The sky held a real ‘wow’ factor for me. Even the act of looking upwards was helpful. Nature is always helpful to healing, because it doesn’t judge and it doesn’t rush.
Sonya Melbourne
A current member of the Australian Society of Authors and SCBWI, Sonya is a serious and committed author, who treats writing as a business as well as a passion.
Media
Her mother’s comment that her life was ‘filled with joy’ was what inspired author Sonya Melbourne to write a book about a lifelong struggle her mother has fought with mental illness.
Inspired Recovery will be a compilation of true stories from those diagnosed with bipolar disorder, schizophrenia or schizoaffective disorder, who have achieved happiness and success in their lives. In short, Inspired is about the triumph of the human spirit.
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