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"Recovery language"
Siena
Inactive Posts: 15,759 Skive's The Limit
So in my peer support training i was taught "recovery language" which i am failing to do in my everyday life and espically on here. Which ive come to accept is okay cause i realise when i do it in my head so if ever came to work id be able to change how i spoke. Im just wondering other peoples views on it and if you think changing these words would make a difference 
. In my training it all made sense and was like "im gunna use this everywhere" but i dont 
& kinda annoys me i dont so dk if any point
so a massive one is not mentioning their diagnosis. Since all valid no matter what diagnosis and a diagnosis can make you assume what they struggle with rather than listening to them when can mean different. And because like to see people. Not their diagnosis. I don’t know what other people think of that one? Since people like a label and sayinng things like "low mood" instead of "depression". Could invalidate how they actually feel. But saying just "depression" you get a picture of what that looks like when different for everyone. rather than explaining what it looks like.
Other "none recovery lanague" being "suicide" & "suicidal" and i was taught to say "having thoughts of dying" ect. because negative assoscations with the word suicide of being "commit suicide" sounding like a crime. I dont really see much wrong with saying suicide if dont say "commit"
Other words being like never saying "crazy" in any content. Which i didnt get at the time tbh. Cause you say "last night was crazy" there is no refrence to MH there at all. And surely saying there is refrence - is stigma in its self?
Also taught not to say "symptoms" say experience cause makes more hoilstic or something and not saying words like "obessed" "overthinking" "manipluative"
And loads of small ones and Another important one i know ive fogotten.
apperently all this is suppose to make it indivual and look at the person rather the illness
just wondering what others think and if would make much difference?
. In my training it all made sense and was like "im gunna use this everywhere" but i dont & kinda annoys me i dont so dk if any pointso a massive one is not mentioning their diagnosis. Since all valid no matter what diagnosis and a diagnosis can make you assume what they struggle with rather than listening to them when can mean different. And because like to see people. Not their diagnosis. I don’t know what other people think of that one? Since people like a label and sayinng things like "low mood" instead of "depression". Could invalidate how they actually feel. But saying just "depression" you get a picture of what that looks like when different for everyone. rather than explaining what it looks like.
Other "none recovery lanague" being "suicide" & "suicidal" and i was taught to say "having thoughts of dying" ect. because negative assoscations with the word suicide of being "commit suicide" sounding like a crime. I dont really see much wrong with saying suicide if dont say "commit"
Other words being like never saying "crazy" in any content. Which i didnt get at the time tbh. Cause you say "last night was crazy" there is no refrence to MH there at all. And surely saying there is refrence - is stigma in its self?
Also taught not to say "symptoms" say experience cause makes more hoilstic or something and not saying words like "obessed" "overthinking" "manipluative"
And loads of small ones and Another important one i know ive fogotten.
apperently all this is suppose to make it indivual and look at the person rather the illness
just wondering what others think and if would make much difference?
~Probably dead now
Post edited by Siena on
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I used recovery with people when i was on work experience and i actually felt like it made a difference. Mostly cause you use less clinical terms and call them a peer not patient and they feel more at your level and feel like youre talking to them like a person, not just looking at their "symptoms" like other professional speak like. Ad the peer tutors said a lot about how they have impacted others.
but i still dont know if i should make an effort to use that lanagage here , and if makes difference in this sort of place or difference for me. Since they said apperently can help yourself as lanaguage affects thoughts, thoughts affect langauge ect. Cause im always saying these ah. And dunno if would make much difference for myself if i was to say "thinking a lot about...." rather than "obsessed with..." or "a bit of a slip" instead of "relapse" (less like a restart) or say "mental health challenge" rather than illness or not speak about diagnosis.
I can see it kinda helping since recovery is not about reducing "symptoms" but about finding hope and yourself more. And feel like thats kinda what recovery lanaguage can do. But idek
also another one i forgot is "recovery language" also includes not saying to someone "im sorry to hear...." but to say " i hear you feel...." ect
Because apperaently theres a differences between giving empathy vs sympathy and that people dont want sympathy or pity. Which actually yeah sometimes people in real life have been like sorry to hear that , and im just thinking yeah i dont need your pity. I dont feel like that online though.
Dunno if anyone can give me their opinions on that?:/ do you mind when people say "im sorry to hear...."?
this is actually the only thing i have done constantly since my training and dont think i said im sorry for how someone feels since my training incase they feel its pity. Im not sure if people would tho
https://dailynorthwestern.com/2014/04/13/opinion/patel-dont-say-im-sorry-when-you-feel-pity-for-someone/
Defo. Not going to be saying "im sorry...." anymore. Cant unread that now and makes all sense.