Illness Management and Recovery / IMR-A14-1
Daily Structure with Flexibility — Concept brief
Understand the idea behind daily structure with flexibility and consider whether it fits your context.
8 minutes · Handout · Adults; supported use as appropriate
Fictional example: Casey plans one errand and leaves room for recovery time.
Use an ordinary or fictional example, with a clinician when appropriate. A manageable routine can support functioning without becoming a compliance test.
The idea
A manageable routine can support functioning without becoming a compliance test.
An ordinary example
Casey plans one errand and leaves room for recovery time.
What this can look like
Design a day with one chosen goal, rest, basic needs, and a backup for low-energy periods.
Check the fit
What makes this plan possible rather than idealized? You may disagree with the framing, use fiction, or decide that this approach is not useful today.
A useful distinction
A personal recovery goal and a symptom-management strategy serve related but different purposes; the person defines what a meaningful life includes.
Prompts for this resource
- What part of this idea makes sense to me?
- What makes this plan possible rather than idealized?
Conceptual background
Illness Management and Recovery Evidence-Based Practices KIT — SAMHSA
Background on the approach only. Original exercises and wording are by More Than Therapy with AI assistance; the source does not validate or endorse these materials.