Tags
brain disease, daily, friendships, happiness, health, hope, mental health, mental illness, mentally ill, normal, relationships, schizophrenia], wellness
On Sunday night, I went to a Rod Stewart and Cindi Lauper concert at an amphitheater approximately twenty miles from my house. My husband and I took two of our friends, and before the concert, the four of us had a picnic (tailgated) in the parking lot. Our seats were lawn seats, but even though those are the cheapest seats, it was a great place to sit because the lawn is sloped, you can easily get up and dance, and there are plenty of big screens so you can see what is happening on stage in case you forget your glasses like I did (oops!).
My husband didn’t listen to Rod Stewart as a teenager, but one of my friends and I knew almost every word to both artist’s songs. I suppose there is nothing remarkable about going to a summer concert in Southern California, sitting on a blanket on a warm night, sharing a carafe of wine (I’m the only one who doesn’t drink because of my medications, but I had water!). I guess to most people, that would be pretty normal, and that’s my point.
If you want to help someone with a mental illness, include them in the plans you make that are “normal.” I can’t do or go everywhere because of symptoms but some of the best times I have are just participating in things that others take for granted like movies, concerts, coffee shops, a lunch date, having someone drop by my house because they are in the neighborhood.
When I read the comments from people with schizophrenia in the groups that I am a member of, one of the main complaints is that people are lonely. I know that having a friend with schizophrenia can seem different, uncomfortable, or odd, but most of the time people won’t have to “work” at the friendship or accept any more idiosyncracies than they would with any other friend. You know your friend who is always late? You know your friend that double dips their chip in the salsa or hummus? You put up with those behaviors and end up saying, “Oh well, that is just so and so.”
Those of us with schizophrenia can be a “so and so” to you too. I have to get past uncomfortable feelings every day; maybe it’s time we all try to do it and include someone with a mental illness in our plans
