Margaret Trudeau, Canada’s lively and lovely former first lady turned bipolar advocate, talks about her recovery (récupération in French) process to stay balanced.

“You need to develop a sense of forgiveness,” she says. “Forgiving myself and forgiving others for abandoning me, for hurting me, for their lack of understanding. I have to ask for forgiveness, and I have to forgive myself.”

The other essential ingredient to recovery, Trudeau says, is gratitude. “When you are a grateful person, you are a generous person, and then you are a happy person. When you give, you get—you certainly do.”

“I know what it was like to be so low, and to have that flame of hope—the one you should always have—go out. I have such gratitude for being well and having been given the gifts I have in my life.”

She is giving back through public speaking and media interviews about her life to reduce stigma and encourage people to reach our for help. Her above advice, key points in her recovery, family history, and more of this admirable woman’s story are tucked into a nice cover article in BP Hope magazine.

Read more in Margaret Trudeau: forgiveness.gratitude.wisdom. [free full text].

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    Last reviewed: By John M. Grohol, Psy.D. on 26 Feb 2008
    Published on PsychCentral.com. All rights reserved.