Mental health articles

Recovery- and Resilience-Focused
A focus on recovery and resilience supports personal growth and optimal functioning.
Hope fuels the belief that change is possible and allows mothers to overcome the shame, defensiveness, fear, or isolation that may hold them back from achieving
their goals and enhancing their functioning. Family life and parenting may provide the context for hope and the motivation for recovery. As one mother indicated,
“They’re [her children] the reason I get up out of bed every day. It’s because of them.” According to another mother, “I know I have to do the right thing because I
have kids.” A third mother shared, “I want to be ok for me and for them. I got to be strong.” Mothers may need encouragement to embrace the belief that by taking
care of themselves, perhaps through effective self-care and illness management strategies, they will actually help their children, and to make the effort to do so, because it may seem counter to the notion of being a “good mother” who prioritizes her children’s needs. In one mother’s insight, “They’ve [her children] turned me around to care more about myself because I have to care for them.”
Resilience is the process of adapting well in the face of adversity, trauma, tragedy, threats or stress.
An individual’s traits, talents, skills or interests may protect them from life’s downturns. Resilience can be developed by connecting with others, modifying
thoughts or attitudes about problems that arise (e.g., particularly negative thoughts), taking steps towards achieving goals, and nurturing and taking care of oneself. One mother explained, “It can be very challenging and very difficult not being, like not being able to be the parent that I want to be. But, hopefully, I can be [the parent I
want to be] if I just work at myself, you know.” This mother is working towards developing a more positive image of herself as a parent. Her resilience is fueled by
hope and the belief that she can make positive changes in her life. Resilience can be built in the course of the recovery process to support and sustain positive changes
and to protect a mother during times of stress and challenge.

Tags: recovery