Self-love: A Strategy to Unlock Self towards Recovery from Depression in Middle-Aged Women
Keywords:
self-love, recovery from depression, middle-aged womenAbstract
This was grounded theory research, which aimed to study the recovery process from depression from 26 women, aged 40-60years, living in Chonburi Province and having depression diagnosed by psychiatrists. Twenty-one people entered the recovery phase diagnosed by psychiatrists while five of them perceived by themselves. Data were collected by in-depth interviews, observation guideline and field notes informants and analyzed by comparative analysis.
The results showed that the recovery process from depression consisted of 3 phrases: phrases 1 loss and pain, phrases 2 having depression and seeking ways to unlock one’s self and phrases 3 regaining peace of mind. In the second phrase, the core category was found. It was “self-love”, which helped unlock one’s self from the suffering caused by focusing on others until neglecting self- care. Pulling one’s self out of sorrow can be done through the following important steps, namely: 1) throwing away things that cling to the mind - quitting suffering 2) analyzing the causes of suffering - building energy; 3) determining a new path - standing up and living with self-love and 4) creating own meaning to continue living. As a result, women recognized that their identity had returned and recognized their self-esteem. Healthcare providers should be encouraged to have self-love to promote recovery from depression.
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