My Recovery

Everybody's experience of recovery is different, so how are you supposed to know where to start yours?

hand held up against sky with smily face painted on palmRethink hears from many professionals who want to implement the principles of 'personal recovery' at the services they work in and when helping people with mental health problems.

For some people, however, the journey of recovery might not start with a professional suggesting it to them, but when a friend tells them about their own recovery or when they come across a leaflet or a website like this one.

The principles of recovery can be a great help when thinking about your own recovery, even if the services you are in contact with don't seem to be promoting it themselves.

Even those who aren't in contact with services could find some of the ideas useful in beginning to look forward, and perhaps beyond the affects of mental illness.

Insights into recovery

Rethink are lucky enough to know lots of people with a variety of individual recovery journeys. Our research team (some of whom have personal experience of recovery and mental illness) have put some of these stories together in a report called Recovery Insights.

 older man with hand on  younger man's shoulder standing in garden, We hope that these stories will inspire or help you in your own experience of recovery. 

You may like to try some of the suggestions. Some might not feel right just now.

It is always important to remember that 'recovery' has a different meaning to each person.

Listening to the advice of friends and family as well as mental health professionals can be very valuable, but you know best when it comes to your wellbeing.

Recovery Insights - learning from lived experience

Recovery Insights

The research team at Rethink asked 55 people about their experiences of recovery and collected their stories in this valuable resource for anyone looking for an insight into the recovery of people with severe mental illness.

Order a copy from mentalhealthshop.org.uk , or download it for free.