Diagnosis to Success Part 1
So, you’ve just been diagnosed with schizophrenia. For some of you, you may be terrified and confused. For others, like me, you were relieved by finally knowing what you’ve been living through. One thing is for sure: you’re wondering what to do next. Don’t panic! I’ve been where you’re at right now, and guess what? Schizophrenia is an afterthought for me most days. I have a job that I love and am successful at, I live with my beloved and supportive partner and I support her as well, I have hobbies (Minecraft, anyone?), I stay in touch with my family (mostly teaching my niece and nephew naughty words so I can be the ‘cool’ uncle), and I live most days unimpeded by my psychotic symptoms.
Join me as I reveal my personal playbook for conquering schizophrenia
In this Diagnosis to Success series, I’m making YouTube videos that outline my playbook for conquering schizophrenia every single day. In these blogs, the videos’ sister content, I will go into more detail and include as many additional resources as I can think of. Each piece of content will give you actionable things you can do to make sure you stay healthy and avoid psychotic episodes as much as possible.
I’m not some snake oil salesman, by the way. I have lived with schizophrenia for 21 years, and 4 months from now marks the 10th anniversary of living 10 years without having a single psychotic episode. How did I manage to do that? By doing the things I outline in my videos and blogs. I don’t do all the things all at once, in fact, I often neglect to do many of the things I teach on any day-to-day. There is no silver bullet to slaying schizophrenia every day, but if you do enough of these things, living with schizophrenia and having a normal life or two things that can coexist.
You’re not alone!
There are lots of online communities, and they are full of amazingly supportive people who are living through the same schizophrenia symptoms you are. Check out Reddit (see /r/schizophrenia) or Facebook (see Schizophrenia Facebook Group).
Again, there’s no need to panic. Living with schizophrenia is like having an obnoxious family member. They’re not going anywhere, so you just have to manage the oddities and quirks as they come. They’re with you for life, so the best thing to do is find the best ways to live a harmonious life with them. In these videos and blogs, I’ve done the heavy lifting for you. I know the best ways to manage schizophrenia on a day-to-day basis and it starts with knowing that having it is not the end of the world. So, if you believe me, you’re already one step closer. I’ll see you in the next post (P.S. Find the next post by clicking here, it’s about managing expectations).
