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Self-Care Tip #226 – Find your council for self-care outside of yourself with psychiatry.
Many may wonder why a psychiatrist would talk about being a friend to yourself. People who know psychiatry involves medicine, who think psychiatry excludes psychotherapy, who think self-care is holistic (i.e. holistic they interpret as non-medical) or who don’t bridge the gap that voluntary choices and choices regarding what is involuntary is still self-care – these people may wonder… It’s no fault or judgment, it just is, as we like to say.
After all, psychiatry has changed a lot in the last thirty-plus years. This category of people I speak of includes even physicians. It is not easy to keep up on each other’s specialties.
I make my case for “microphone-time” (taking liberties to speak on this) based on the Biopsychosocial Model. I boldly say that because Psychiatry flattens the planes between biology, psychology, sociology, then Psychiatry should speak up on self-care. It is a broad perspective and often with some affecting differences from religion, clergy, laymen, psychology or other therapies by reputation (I’m not speaking about individuals.)
The beautiful bridge linking voluntary behaviors and emotions with the involuntary, and how that relates to our choices, our self-care, our freedom, saying all health begins and ends with Me is an enormous step in friendship with oneself.
Questions: Where do you find your own opinion on this spectrum of thought? And why? What has your experience been with this? Please tell me your story.
Related Articles
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- Culture, Diversity And Psychiatry At The APA Annual Meeting In Honolulu (medicalnewstoday.com)
My opinion is being informed by what I am learning from you, Doc, there are so many things I never knew about. My eyes are slowly opening to a better and kinder understanding of people.
Thank you.
ah cin. u definitely give as u receive. hug
the thing is with psychiatry so many people tihnk of men in white suits i think most of us are taught this from an early age it aint about that doesnt happen in this ountry anymore ubnless you are dangerous and then you dont get any choice atall and when it comes to self care in the uk wether it be the doctor the phycyatrist the cmhn hospital they all forget about self care i tihnk sometime they really forget everybody is not out of the book me defnitly not i have found the self care journey really good and something totle new to me now i reckcon im taking a big guess at this form all the storys i here of bpd there is none of those inderviduals self caring maybee if insted of trying to fix people with bpd they try to help us look after ourselves they might get some where just an idear another thing that the theropist siad to me the other day he siad i have not developed like a normal person hurtfull in a way this is true i did not start shaving with a razor till i was 28 i had my first girlfriend at about 28 im behind a little
i now have to look foward to a new kind of life growing up im not peter pan and i have to grow up and most of that is down to me but i will need a bit help and yes i will end up in crisis but i think it is bettter to have failed badly rather than not tryed atall
“maybe if insted of trying to fix people with bpd they try to help us look after ourselves they might get some where” – this is enormous kevin. u r brilliant. thank u so much for sharing this cleverness w us. keep on!
As the complicated organisms we are, there is no way any one part, voluntary or involuntary can be separated from the other and still retain “health”. ME care, self care has to involve every aspect. Well said!
Chris
thank u chris! resonating is next to Godliness i’ve decided. few things that seem so rewarding and connecting and feel-good and other things i’m sure must come w wings like angels!
Last night, after a rather strange day of “celebrating” – or not, depending on what it was –
my 70th birthday (while trying to deal with a major sinus something), my husband and I were talking about the day – the past week, actually – and he made what he thought was a logical, innocent comment about the up-coming wedding of my nephew. I don’t know whether the age or the sinus or the friend not arriving or missing my kids or a combination of all triggered it, but his comment sent me over the edge for the first time in well over a year. Hysterics are one thing. This was – I don’t even know – but by the time I could pull myself together and realize that I wasn’t in an emergency ward, I had no voice and I ached all over and I was absolutely exhausted…and my husband was a disaster so I was, then, terrified about him.
Today, I’m just exhausted – and a little scared (more than a litte!) – that it happened, but the good thing is that he didn’t panic and get me to a hospital; I knew enough to take some extra Klonopin; I went to my support system (Thank you) and cried over the computer for a sentence or two; and then I went to bed….and held onto my husband for a very long time this morning. Linking voluntary with involuntary with biology with emotion. What you said…I think. Good self-care, for as much as I could handle it and for as much as I will continue to do so. Thanks so much for being there.
whew. i’m glad you’re getting on the other side of that. i’m glad u r still hopeful and moving toward your “gray-zone” of safety. thank u for bringing us w u. many need to know u as well as they r not alone.
and… HAPPY BIRTHDAY WONDERFUL NANCY!!!!!!!! WOOOOWHOOOOOO!!!!!
keep ON!
Thanks, Sana. 🙂
U.
Huh?? Did I miss something? 🙂
U. just celebrating U.
ahh, the good old bio-psycho-social model! If there’s any specialty in medicine that needs to embrace that fully, surely it’s psychiatry. Psychiatrists I’ve shadowed have always been brilliant – in my experience as a medical student and a person with severe depression, sometimes it’s primary care where doctors let people down. There’s not much time for BSP model, in 7 minute consultations.
laughing char :). yes the good old BPS. and you’re right, it’s been around a lot longer than me.
thank u so much for taking us a bit further w u on your personal journey/story. it is an honor and many of us recognize that and respect the bond. keep talking.