Betty Irabor Shares Her Experience With Mental Illness At The
Psychiatric Dept Of An Iranian Hospital At Dubai

Betty Irabor is a Nigerian columnist, philanthropist, writer, publisher and founder of Genevieve magazine.

She recently shared her recovery process from mental illness on her LinkedIn platform.

Sharing a lengthy post, she wrote:

I remember sitting at the Psychiatric department of the Iranian hospital in Dubai waiting for my turn to see a doctor. ….

I was past being shamed or stigmatised… Besides, no one knew me here, I was no one important…just another psychiatric patient.
“Betty Irabor… please proceed to …..” I knocked and entered the consulting room;

“Who prescribed all these medicines for you?” The doctor asked after seeing my collection of antidepressants.”You don’t need these, they are too many”… He sorted them and told me which to continue with & which to dispose of immediately. (The truth was, while a few were based on doctors prescriptions, I was also self medicating).

At the end of my consultation I felt great…I understood a little more of the nature of my illness…I left the hospital with my head high and a bubbly spirit…But it wasn’t quite the happy ending I expected….

Depression persisted…..I just could not find peace amidst the turmoil….Mental illness sucks big time.

I began to find peace when I realised how much learning and unlearning I had to do. I was tired of the self-pity and this thing that was consuming my life… I did not only want my life back, I wanted to be an even better version….It was time to fix me…

How did I go about it? I embarked on a journey of self-evaluation and self discovery 👇👇👇

➡️ I made peace with my past and then forgave everyone including myself. “There’s no future without forgiveness – Desmond Tutu”

➡️ I began to learn new healthy habits starting with my thoughts process.

➡️ I embarked on a mind-set makeover (I had programmed my mind to see and believe the worst).

➡️ I stopped feeding my insecurities (I am fearfully and wonderfully made… The holy book).

➡️ I worked on “My toxic self-conversations” (Not today b**ch)

➡️ I learnt to accept that I am not infallible.

➡️ I confronted my “People-pleasing” tendencies.

➡️ Perfectionism was a trait I had to re-address…. “Perfectionism sets you up for failure -Joyce Meyer”

➡️ Gratitude is like a joy pill…I learnt to be grateful for every small and big milestone.

➡️ I learnt to set boundaries.

➡️ Embraced my perfect imperfections.

➡️ I kept my doctor’s appointment diligently and stopped self-medication.

➡️ I discovered my safe place and relished every moment of self-discovery.

➡️ I embraced a healthier lifestyle.

➡️ I Stopped feeling guilty about being ill.

➡️ Started praying again, went back to church and hosted a successful fundraiser during a Church harvest event.

➡️ I shared my story and became an advocate for mental health awareness.

➡️ I became UNAPOLOGETICALLY BETTY😊😊

Source: Betty Irabor|LinkedIn

Email: elora.akpotosevbe@yahoo.com