WORDS CHANGE THEIR MEANING IN RECOVERY




struggle


ˈstrʌɡ(ə)l/


verb

gerund or present participle: struggling

1.     make forceful or violent efforts to get free of restraint or constriction.

"before she could struggle, he lifted her up"

And it's not like when people use 'love' in different ways and to different people.


“I’m struggling” is something I’ve said a number of times in my life - like, a countless amount of times. But slowly, over the course of my mental health journey - I won’t say ‘recovery’ because I’m currently sectioned under the Mental Health Act and in a Psychiatric Hospital; so ‘recovery’ is debateable right now – that word that sentence, has begun to change it’s meaning…

When I first got mentally unwell, in 2009, “I’m struggling” meant that I was hearing voices, wanting to self-harm, wanting to overdose, and close to being sectioned and/or hospitalised.



Next, “I’m struggling” meant maybe I could do with some PRN medication – like Lorazepam.



And then “I’m struggling” was code for ‘I-feel-a-bit-anxious.



Support

verb

verb: support; 3rd person present: supports; past tense: supported; past participle: supported; gerund or present participle: supporting

1.

bear all or part of the weight of; hold up.

"the dome was supported by a hundred white columns"

synonyms:
hold up, bear, carry, prop up, keep up, bolster up, brace, shore up, underpin, buttress, reinforce
"the roof was supported by massive stone pillars"

o    be capable of fulfilling (a role) adequately.

"tutors gain practical experience which helps them support their tutoring role"

2.

give assistance to, especially financially

Another phrase/word that’s changed has been ‘support.’ In the beginning, ‘support’ was all about being sectioned and the Crisis Team, and then it was about my Community Mental Health Team (CMHT), and now it’s about my community support; Richmond Fellowship, my Mum and family, and my friends. 

I thought it was really interesting – the thought that something so simple and so common, could change its entire rationale and definition, over the course of a few years. I mean, a lot has changed in a ‘few years’ – but still!

I guess that as people grow and our vocabulary grow, it’s only inevitable that our definition of words, phrases, and sentences, change and grow too.
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