I became engrossed in the fitness lifestyle in 2012, when I weighed my heaviest. Although I was a thin person growing up, I gained ninety pounds in the course of two-and-a-half years due to taking Abilify, an antipsychotic medication. My psychiatrist only took me off of it after it had already done its damage, now leaving me with yet another challenge on top of mental illness.
I joined my local Lucille Roberts (a women's gym) not to lose weight, but to simply claim freedom in my life. At the time, I had committed to myself the responsibility of caretaking full-time for my grandmother with dementia. She was in her early-nineties, and sacked with a constant affect of demanding fear and fright. None of my labors were much appreciated, and she slept rarely for more than a half-hour at a time. I went to the gym merely to get away for a bit.
The unconditionally positive support from the gym's manager is what got me on the right track towards weight loss. She armed me with information on how to use the elliptical for intervallic training, alternating between running fast and then slower so as to stimulate cardiovascular health. After two weeks, I had lost about six pounds. She then encouraged me to adopt a diet for weight loss. This difficult task became easier because of her support. I was able to stick to the diet, and I lost fifty pounds in about six months.
I tell my weight loss story not to bask in any glory, but to point out a specific principle: when we are surrounded by people who unconditionally believe in our capacity for human agency, or even a single such person, we became empowered and strengthened in a way that cannot be attained in solitude alone. This concept can be applied all areas of life in which we wish to make improvement or change.
A few years ago, I purchased some BeachBody fitness products through a friend of mine who was a coach. He had set up a Facebook support group for his direct customers, and he worked hard to make it a welcoming environment for all. Members were welcome to ask questions related to the weight loss/fitness experience, and he offered advice while also facilitating discussions that engaged all group members. In this process, the group became a friendly community, members empowering one another in becoming stronger and healthier. The coach also facilitated weekly meetups, where members came to do workouts together. Again, there was presented the opportunity for friendships to blossom.
My fitness coach’s Facebook group was the direct inspiration for me in creating my own mental health Facebook group. His leadership style in running the group also was an inspiration for me to follow as the leader of my group. The goal was not for me to dictate to others the nature of mental health wellness. I instead wanted to present the group as an opportunity to come together and discuss wellness.
It was 2015 when I started the Facebook group. At the time, I had just started working full-time as a mental health peer specialist. To describe: a peer is a professional with personal lived experience with mental illness. They publicly disclose their conditions, so as to empathize and understand clients with mental illness. Peers are often involved in advocacy efforts, whether it be asserting the needs of individual clients, or else mobilizing with other peers to effect change on the societal level. Due to my mental illness disability, I had previously been unable to hold down even a part time job. I found great freedom in working as a peer, specifically because my disability and experiences now became a strength that could help others. As it still is today.
But if only this were the attitude of society! Mental illness currently is seen as a flaw, a blemish, an inconvenience on others when faced with our "irrationalities" and "inability to conform." I believe that the work of mental health peers flies in the face of this utter misconception. While it is possible for a psychiatrist to prescribe medications that improve one's quality of life, pills are not enough to make a person happy and content. This is where peer support jumps in. In professional settings, peers inspire their clients in achieving wellness on a holistic level. This includes developing methods of self-care, which can range from hobbies and friendships to basic skills like cooking, maintaining personal hygiene and budgeting.
Facebook groups can help with the social component of wellness. Compare the fitness group's goal of physical health to that of mental health. It is the same guiding principle that aids people in their journeys, where people come together to encourage one another and share information. With this sentiment, mental health peer support becomes normalized. Instead of being a sensationalist concept, it now becomes a complex topic to contemplate, stimulating conversation between those who desire it in their lives.
As people discuss wellness, two things occur. Firstly, the sentiment of peer support manifests, and all parties are uplifted. Of course, this is easier said than done. Great care must be taken by the group's facilitators, so as to create an empowering environment that is also a safe space. But let us assume that this is accomplished.
The second thing that occurs is absolutely transformative: people start to discover a capacity within themselves that they previously did not know existed. It may not happen to everyone, or it might take a long time before it begins to manifest in a person's life. We begin to realize that mental illness does not define a person, but rather becomes a springboard for conversation. A commonality that we share, fo the chaos of mental illness too has its sense and order, a secret code that those affected mutually understand. There can be no promises of butterflies and bliss amidst green fields, but one's emotional pains can be lessened by sharing it with others.
Facebook provides a forum for this type of sharing. While I personally have my own group, I realize that this is just one piece of the puzzle that needs to be assembled to demystify society's perception of mental illness. Many people, dare I say peers, can create wellness Facebook groups to offer social environments to members, each group unique from the other.
This is my vision of the potentiality of Facebook in providing peer support. I fully encourage you to brainstorm your own ideas on how to uplift those who suffer. I merely advise this: focus on uplifting one person at a time. To strive for general worldwide peace forces people into the same box. In truth, each of us affects only so many people, and this limit in our scope should be embraced.
Quality over quantity.