What does recovery look like after ECT and how do I support my own healing?

Recovery from ECT isn't a straight line upward. The Yoga Sutras describe *abhyasa*—consistent practice—as the real work of change. Treatment gives you access to new neural possibility; what you do with that possibility afterward determines the shape of your recovery. Immediately after sessions, expect grogginess, disorientation, memory gaps. Some days you'll feel lighter than you have in years. Other days you'll feel fragile, tender, suddenly aware of all the pain you'd been too numb to feel. Both are normal. Neither means treatment failed. In the weeks following, the real practice begins. Your neuroplasticity is awakened and more receptive—this is the window for building new patterns. This means: consistent sleep and movement, even when motivation is low. Therapy or coaching to process what emerges. Medication adherence if prescribed. Small daily practices that anchor you—walking, journaling, time with people who understand. Memory may feel scattered for a while. Notes and routines become your external mind. Be gentle with yourself here—it's temporary, and your brain is reorganizing itself. Most importantly, notice what's different without demanding it to be different faster. The mind heals at its own pace. Your job isn't to force transformation; it's to show up consistently, with honest self-observation. What does steady, unglamorous commitment look like for you right now?