THE PILLARS OF RECOVERY IN WRAP
From Mary Ellen Copeland, creator of WRAP
People who experience mental illness no longer feel that they are sentenced to a
life of chronic disability that interferes with their ability to work toward and reach
their goals. Instead, by using self-help skills and strategies that compliment other
treatments, they are achieving levels of wellness, stability, and recovery they
always hoped for. Five key recovery concepts provide the foundation of effective
recovery work.
HOPE: People who experience mental health difficulties get well, stay well, and
go on to meet their dreams and goals.
PERSONAL RESPONSIBILITY: It is up to you, with the assistance of others, to
take action and do what needs to be done to keep yourself well.
EDUCATION: Learning all you can about what you are experiencing so you can
make good decisions about all aspects of your life.
SUPPORT: While working towards your wellness is up to you, receiving support
from others, and giving support to others will help you feel better and enhance
the quality of your life.
SELF ADVOCACY: Effectively reaching out to others so that you can get what it
is that you need, want, and deserve to support your wellness and recovery.
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Wellness Toolbox
- Reaching out to others for support
- Checking in with a care provider
- Peer counselling
- Focusing exercises
- Stress reduction and relaxation techniques
- Doing things that divert your attention
- Journal writing
- Food related issues
- Exercise
- Light
- Sleep related issues
- Modifying your daily life
- Keeping yourself safe
- Daily planning
- Spiritual beliefs
List any tools you learned, in this workshop or from your own life experience,
including things you would like to try, even if you haven’t already. Then keep
adding new ones and/or crossing out ones you decide aren’t right for you. Keep
this list in the beginning of your WRAP notebook.
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Healthy Wellness Tools from A – Z
A
Aerobic exercise
Adult coloring book
Asking for what I need
Asking others to support you in advocating for yourself
Attending workshops and seminars
Writing out affirmations and repeating them often
B
Bicycling around the park
Birdwatching
Baking cookies and sharing them with friends
Backpacking
Beauty treatments
Breath-work
Brushing my teeth
Playing baseball or basketball
C
Going to a Cat Café
Counselling
Going to community events
Climbing the stairs twice everyday
Calling a friend
Connecting on Facebook
Making a collage
Making a carving
Cuddling my dog
Checking in with a care provider
Chocolate
Coffee
Camping
Coloring
Charades
Catch phrase
Candy
Cooking a healthy meal for myself
Coffee meetups with friends
Crocheting
Crafting
Creating a vision board
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D
Daydreaming about a vacation
Doing activity pacing
Driving along the river
Being around dogs
Dancing
Doing activities that divert my attention
Planning my day
Dusting
Drinking 8 glasses of water a day
Doing something new for myself that others have done in my past
Developing a personal library of inspirational or educational resources
E
Eating a healthy breakfast, lunch and/or dinner
Exercising outdoors
Evening walks
Following exercise video from library
Exercising at the gym
Exchange listening
Enrolling in free online courses like “The Science of Happiness” or “MS Office”
F
Forgiving my friend
Flower picking/shopping
Focusing exercises
Going to food related support groups
Fixing my hair
Giving to the food bank
G
Going to the gym
Drinking a green tea latte
Playing with my grandkids
Playing golf
Guided meditation
Gardening
Gratitude journaling
Going to bed on time
Getting fresh air
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H
Holding my loved one’s hand
Hugging someone
Hiking local trails
Drinking hot chocolate
Hearing the birds sing
I
Investigating my parents past
Using the Inpatient ward if my symptoms get too bad
Initiating conversation with someone I do not know well and would like to know better
Imagining a good memory and try to re-experience it through my memories
J
Juggling work and life
Journaling
Jogging
Jigsaw puzzle
Jamming out to music
K
Keeping myself safe—take a self defense course
Kickboxing
Flying a kite
Singing karaoke
Going kayaking
L
Laughter yoga
Using a Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD) light in the mornings
Love people
Doing a “Loving kindness meditation”
Letting the light in – opening the blinds on the windows
Visiting the library
M
Putting on some makeup
Massage therapy
Meditation
Modifying my life to ensure that I am taking care of wellness
Use medications to improve the symptoms I experience
Making a list of positive words and match each word with a positive memory
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N
No TV in house
Playing with my nieces and nephews
Exploring nature
Reading a novel
O
Going outside for a walk
Going outside and sit on a bench in the sun
Outdoor sports
Organizing a drawer
Planning an outing with friends
P
Peer listening
Potluck meal
Creating personal positives folder
Painting
Praying
Playing guitar
Plaster-cast sculpting
Peer support groups
Puzzles
Petting a dog
Pounding my pillow when I am angry
Painting my nails
Q
Quilting
Quiet time to yourself
R
Reminding yourself of things that give you a feeling of hope
Reading stories of recovery/hope
Resting in my easy chair
Reading
Risk taking
Relaxing
Running
Reconnecting with someone
Reaching out for support
Research medication or medical information
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S
Swimming
Sitting in the park
Taking a shower
Singing as loud as I can
Sewing
Practicing good sleeping rituals
Practicing self-care
Socializing with loved ones
T
Trying something new
Taking time to appreciate how far you have come
Traveling
Tennis
Therapy
Treating yourself to something nice
U
Ukulele lessons
Using the changing negative thoughts to positive thoughts technique
Unplug from social media for awhile
Unwinding with self-care
V
Eat a vegetarian or vegan meal
Volunteering
Eating vegetables
Planning a vacation
Playing videogames
Visualizing the future in a positive way
W
Wearing your most comfortable clothes
Wearing fancy clothes
Writing a story
Go walking with friends
Watching a funny movie
Weeding the garden
Writing about your goals and dreams
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X
Xeroxing funny quotes
X-Country skiing
Y
Yelling and pounding pillow
Yoga
Yodeling
Going to a yard sale
Z
Zen doodling
Going to the zoo
Catching some ZZZ’s
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More Wellness Tools
Wellness tools which are key to recovery – Hope, Personal Responsibility, Education, Self-
advocacy, and Support
Wellness tools that have to do with HOPE:
Remind yourself of things that give you feelings of hope like nature, good friends, and
helpful care providers
Reading recovery stories
Writing about goals and dreams
Repeating hopeful affirmations “Every day in every way I feel better and better”
Wellness tools that have to do with PERSONAL RESPONSIBILITY:
Trying something new
Doing something for yourself that others have done for you in the past
Taking an action that supports your recovery
Wellness tools that have to do with EDUCATION:
Researching medications on the internet
Attending workshops and seminars
Developing a personal library of resources that support your recovery
Studying a diagnosis at the library
Wellness tools that have to do with SELF-ADVOCACY:
Asking for what you want and need, over and over util you get it
Asking others to support you in advocating for yourself
Reaching out to protection and advocacy agencies for help and support
Wellness tools that have to do with SUPPORT:
Calling a friend
Going to a support group meeting
Exchange listening
Having a potluck supper with friends
Treating a friend to a movie
Connecting on Facebook
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Common Wellness Tools:
- Taking medication
- Brushing your teeth
- Taking a shower
- Wearing something you like
- Going to bed early
- Fixing your hair
- Spending time with spouse or children
- Petting a dog
- Working outside in your garden
- Walking in the woods
- Getting together with a close friend
- Bird watching
- Connecting with friends on Facebook
Creative Activities Wellness Tools:
- Painting
- Collage
- Needlework
- Woodcraft
- Carving
- Quilting
- Making music
- Cooking
- Adult coloring book
- Writing creative stories and poems
- Plaster cast – sculpting
- Puzzles
Tasks that may be Wellness Tools:
- Washing the dishes
- Organizing a drawer
- Rearranging the furniture
- Weeding the garden
- Dusting
- Changing the sheets
Stress Reduction Wellness Tools:
- Meditation
- 15 minutes of quiet time
- Sitting in the park
- Listening to soothing music
- Watching a funny movie
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Stress Reduction Wellness Tools Continued:
- Journaling
- Changing negative thoughts to positive ones
- Visualizations
Community Resources as Wellness Tools:
- Inpatient and outpatient care
- Community and senior centers
- Counselling, consulting, coaching,
- Support groups
- Community events (concerts, movies, etc.)
- Stores you like to shop in
- Restaurants
- Libraries
- Food banks
- Beautician schools
Health Related Wellness Tools:
- Eating 3 healthy meals a day
- Drinking 8 glasses of water a day
- Avoiding excessive sugar, caffeine, high fat foods
- Spending 30 minutes outside every day
- Going for a walk 3-5 times a week
- Climbing the stairs twice every day
- Being active (dancing, biking, swimming, running, strolling, walking, etc.)
- Opening the blinds every day
- Getting up early
- Going to bed early
- Using a light for Season Affective Disorder (SAD)
- Abstaining from alcohol and street drugs
Controversial Wellness Tools:
- Smoking cigarettes
- Drinking alcohol
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Daily Maintenance List
Describe yourself when you are feeling all right. Do it in list form. Some
descriptive words that others have used are:
Bright Cheerful Withdrawn
Reserved Talkative Outgoing
Quiet Introverted Boisterous
Energetic Content Calm
Humorous Happy Fast Learner
Contemplative Dramatic Athletic
Difficult Compulsive Optimistic
Reasonable Supportive Argumentative
Responsible Competent Industrious
Use any of these words that apply to you. How else would you describe yourself
when you are well?
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Daily Maintenance List
On this page make a list of things you need to do for yourself every day to keep
yourself feeling alright.
Some ideas:
- Eat 3 healthy meals a day
- Drink 8 glasses of water
- Exercise for 30 minutes
- Take medication and vitamins
- Spend 20 minutes relaxing or meditating
- Write in a journal for at least 15 minutes
- Spend 30 minutes enjoying a fun, affirming, or creative activity
Use any of these you would like on your own list. Change items or amounts of
time to suit you. What else should be on your Daily Maintenance List?
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On this page, make a reminder list for things you might choose to do. Reading
through this list daily helps keep you on track. They may be things you will do
once a week, once a month, or when you feel the need.
Some ideas:
- Set up appointment with health care provider
- Spend time with a good friend
- Spend extra time with your partner
- Be in touch with your family
- Spend time with children or pets
- Do peer counselling
- Get more sleep
- Have some personal time
- Plan something fun for the weekend
- Plan a vacation
- Take a hot bubble bath
- Go for a long walk
- Call your sponsor
- Go to a support group or twelve-step meeting
Use any of these that you like for your own list. What else should be on your list
of things you might choose to do?
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More Things You Might Need To Do To Stay Well
Paying bills
Watering plants
Getting groceries
Cleaning the house
Doing the laundry
Vacuuming
Making an appointment with your doctor
Contacting a family member
Changing the sheets on your bed
Cleaning the closets
Putting away winter clothes
Getting a massage
Spending time with a counsellor
Going to a movie
Attending a special event like a play
Signing up for an educational course
Window shopping
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What can help with Recovery?
Diagnosis Awareness
Understanding your diagnosis, what symptoms to expect, what treatments are helpful, and
what to expect can help you feel more in control and prepared.
Learning to Manage Symptoms
Knowing how to respond to symptoms and how to reduce the impact of symptoms can make it
easier to manage from day to day.
Connecting with Others
Interacting with other people will help reduce isolation and loneliness. To connect with others
with similar experience can provide you with the opportunity to learn fro others and share
experiences and feel a part of a community.
Setting New Goals and Taking Steps to Achieve Them
Having a plan and some goals in your life will give you a sense of accomplishment and help your
self-image. Keep creating dreams and plans for the future to work toward.
Having Coping Mechanisms to Manage Stress
Stress can be very impactful on a person’s health and it is important to have ways to reduce
and respond to stress that works for you whenever you experience stress.
Having Satisfying Routine Activities
Activities that you do every day or regularly will give your life structure and make the days feel
more meaningful. Work can be a way to have a sense of meaningfulness and accomplishment
in your life, and it also gives you a regular schedule to follow and benefits you financially and
personally.
Supportive and Meaningful Relationships
Having people in your life that are meaning and loving will hep you feel fulfilled and
understood. Intimacy and love can bring happiness and joy to our lives, and it is important to
feel like you have people to turn to when you need help and support.
A Safe and Satisfying Place to Live
A home where you feel safe and comfortable is an important part of every person’s life.
Security and a place to rest and relax is essential for our health and happiness.
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A Sense of Resilience and Personal Strength
To feel like you can bounce back form hard times and to know how capable and strong tou are
will help you to endure the challenges and problems that happen in life.
Opportunities to Share Knowledge and Experience
A person on a recovery journey is learning so many skills and insights that it can be very
fulfilling and meaningful to be able to share that knowledge and experience with others who
are trying to find their way. Education is a powerful part of recovery and being able to educate
others is extremely rewarding.
Spirituality
For many a sense of spirituality and connection to a higher power can bring peace to their lives
and provide them with a place to express themselves and feel belonging.
Opportunities to Advocate and Support Others
To be able to stand up for yourself and others is an awesome experience of strength and pride.
Advocacy can bring a sense of fairness and justice into your life and give you a role where you
can fight for what is right.
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