Personal Medicine

In my “real life” (when I’m not writing a blog or researching eco-friendly living) I am a clinical social worker in the field of mental health.  I am asked frequently about how my profession affects me personally – is it depressing or difficult to see?  There are certainly days that are very hard, but I almost feel insensitive to say that I rarely feel down at work and I don’t think I ‘take my work home’ more than anyone else that is passionate about what they do.

However, this is not an accident.  When I am struggling to find balance in my life, I draw inspiration from Pat Deegan; a brilliant, brave woman who was diagnosed with schizophrenia as a teenager.  Deegan is now a successful, middle-aged woman who has learned to live a full, rich, well life (becoming a PhD in the process) and has written and researched about how to help others with mental health conditions recover.  I think her work, though, has much wider implications and I am particularly enamored with her concept of “Personal Medicine”. 

Personal Medicine* is a term that Pat coined to describe the things that we DO to feel well.  Personal Medicine tells us that wellness is not just about the things we take (medications, supplements, etc) but that wellness has to be something we put into action every day.  I love that the phrase includes the word “medicine”, because in the Western world, we revere medicine and if it is prescribed, we take it diligently and regularly.  What if we could be that faithful to the things we do that make us happy?  Wouldn’t we all feel better?

Personal Medicine does not have to be a two hour yoga class, though that’s wonderful.  Personal Medicine can be as small as reading for a few minutes during your lunch break (one of my favorites) or being fully present with a loved one even if it’s just for a few moments.  The point is that Personal Medicine must be something that we can do consistently, that makes us feel good and that we stick to as doggedly as if it was a prescription because, honestly, it should be.

I would definitely not be able to be effective at work, or anywhere else in my life, if I did not practice Personal Medicine.  I play with my dog, find something to laugh about, read when I can, go for walks, do yoga, watch Sex in the City reruns, listen to dorky podcasts, light candles that smell good, attempt DIY projects around my house, etc, etc.  I did all of these things before conceptualizing them as Personal Medicine, but that framework helps me to be more insistent that they are priorities in my life.

If you can, take a step back this holiday season and prescribe yourself some time to do something you love.  Why not do it now?  Go on – after all, it’s medicine. 

If you want to read more at Pat Deegan or Personal Medicine, take a look at the links below.
http://www.patdeegan.com/pat-deegan
http://www.patdeegan.com/commonground/tour/personal-medicine

*Personal Medicine should not be confused with “personalized medicine”, which is an area of medical science that pursues treatments for illness based on genetic codes and has gotten a lot of media attention recently.