The EDRC team and I had a chance to participate in the National Alliance of Mental Illness (NAMI) Virtual Walk this year and our captain, Taylor Lin, encouraged us to submit photos or other creative works of us during the event. I decided to take this opportunity to reflect on my own situation and create the short 4-panel black and white comic below based on some photographs I took related to the event:
It’s been a tough year for everyone and I know that our eating disorder communities have been hit hard. I found myself slipping back into some old habits and finding my depression symptoms more pronounced than it was years before. Over time, I would seek treatment but my consistency waned while I made other goals a higher priority than my mental health.
This has consequences and climbing back out of the despair that they bring requires making recovery the top priority. I consider mental health as a finite resource – it can be depleted and needs to be regained. Looking ahead into the fall season, I know this is an area that I need to spend more time in. Here is a short list of tactics I’m going to employ:
1.) Devote specific time to recovery activity each day – meditation, mindfulness exercises, and art therapy
2.) Evaluate my treatment plan more closely with my healthcare providers and adjust accordingly
3.) Ask for help and reach out to family and friends more often – a simple phone call is all that’s needed. This is key in fighting the isolation.
I’m grateful for the support of the EDRC, my colleagues, friends, and family in helping me on my recovery journey. If you’re new to this space and want to learn about options available, check out the what resources may be available to you on our website.
Take good care,
Jeremy Sosnick, EDRC volunteer
