Rockford Day 12 Treatment Summary

  8/6/2024


Day 12 summary at Rockford at the Orchards: Going to be short today because I left my notes at the facility.

-As has been usual the last 2-1/2 weeks the girls got their walk, ride, and treats.

-Left for treatment a little earlier than normal but had to double back to the house after I realized I forgot to take my morning medication.

-Crisis averted I made it to the facility in time for the start of the morning session.

-A couple of more new people joined the group but a couple of veterans were no shows so no change in the size of the group from the day before. (14)

-As usual on Tuesday's the facilitator role was shared by Steph and Noelle.

- A.M check in process/goal review:
  1. Current state-Calm, feeeling good, and less anxious
  2. Status of yesterday's goal. Be patient, stay engaged but not overbearing. Drink more water. A work announcement was made yesterday that I felt was important to share with certain family members. I was able to do so using a good mix of my emotional mind along with my reasonable mind, so I was able to speak logically and without explosiveness. I did drink 23 ounces of water on a walk later that afternoon, which is technically more than normal but overall, I need to pay more attention to hydration.
  3. What is your treatment goal for today? My answer was to learn something new to add to my toolbox of learnings to help me overcome anxiety & communicate effectively while respecting the space of others.

-Thought for the day: How to cope with conflict taught us different mechanisms to use but what resonated most with me was also my key takeaway for today. 

Key takeaway today
When in a conflict with another person I need to patiently wait for the other person to be in his or her window of tolerance before pursuing a non-emotional, meaningful discuss. Just because I'm in my window does not mean the other person is.

-Lesson 1 focused on co-dependency vs dependency, how to recognize one vs the other, and how to become less dependent.

  • Co-dependency is having an extreme need for emotional or psychological support from a partner, parent, friend, or other significant person in your life.
  • Dependent being able to satisfy your own emotional and psychological needs by hobbies, associates, interests that are separate from the relationship.
  • How to stop being co-dependent on another.
    • Widen your friend group
    • Explore your own interests.
    • Make independent choices.
    • Practice asserting yourself
    •  Set aside 10 minutes each day for self-reflection.
    • Prioritize your own needs through self-care.
    • Accept responsibility for your actions. 
-Lesson two focused on different cognitive methods that can be used to change the outcome of a scenario.
  • I spoke on visual imagery as a method I've used to be successful in running events.
    • My habit, before a race, was to research the course and visualize success in the most difficult points.  Be mentally prepared for the challenge gave me the confidence that I needed to execute those thoughts. A good example, for me, is I sprinted up "Heartbreak Hill" in the Boston Marathon in spite of what is supposed to be a tough part of the course. I attribute my ability to do this due to visualization.

-Afternoon session I had a choice of guided mediation or creative expression.  Since I chose meditation the last two time these programs were offered, I elected to try creative expression today.  I had a piece of paper, 30-minutes, and a pencil to create a photo.  The photo I chose to draw was my wife's Facebook profile picture.  With a shaky handy, little talent, poor self-confidence, and no time this is the quick sketch I drew.    Going to give it another shot later this weekend when I have more time and no shakes.



  


Goal for tonight
Stay engaged, recognize triggers, and respond appropriately. At the end of the day go for a walk and reflect.

Concerns:
A little dizzy this morning walking the dogs, but it ended there.

Response
60 total hours of therapy and 16 doses of Abilify. I'm responding better than I could have ever imagined at the start of therapy. No doubt, return to work will bring back triggers but I'm confident I have the tools to overcome. Also, I have energy and perseverance to rid myself of the bad behaviors I assumed over the years.



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