The restorative power of being involved

Hanging out at Weaver Street, Carrboro

The simple secret to Caramore is that we get people who are mentally ill, involved. We believe in the restorative power of being involved—in something, anything.

Being involved may mean having a job, or interacting with people, or solving problems. It may mean taking an art class or being in a book club or exercising, or even just eating a meal with others. It means facing issues and completing tasks and accomplishing goals—whether or not you’re fully successful. It means changing habits and maybe a lifestyle from doing almost nothing to doing a lot.

Moving around, keeping busy, and getting involved is living life. That’s about all there is to it. It’s the difference between remaining vital or decaying. Our brains and body desperately crave—and indeed require—new experiences and challenges; experiences and challenges that stimulate all of our senses, breaking the deadlock of inaction, inactivity, and monotony.

Getting out there and experiencing and living—with all the risk that that involves—is living, and can only broaden, better, and restore your health and improve your life.

D. Cooley