Living With Schizophrenia? Options

Hello, I'm a diagnosed schizophrenic and was wondering if anybody else is, or has experience dealing with a schizophrenic in their lifetime. I started this topic because since I was 16 I've been trapped in my own reality. I'm looking for methods or techniques for dealing with different symptoms like; fear that somebody is reading your mind, talking to the radio or television, hearing voices, and overall paranoia. I'm now 20 years old and have accomplished nothing in my life because I've let my illness get the best of me. The only achievement I've made since my first psychotic episode is graduating from high school. I'm really just looking for ways, other than taking medication, too stop my thoughts or subconscious mind from what seems to me as being "broadcast" to people and technology around me. My main problem is the fear that my mind is being read. Hopefully some of you have some advice for me; other than wearing a tinfoil hat, jk. I'm currently taking Zyprexa and Geodon if you were wondering what my meds were. Thanks in advance.

Hello =)

I haven't introduced myself on this board yet, but I saw this topic and very much wanted to reply. I don't have schizophrenia, but I have had a psychotic disorder not-otherwise-specified since I was fourteen and I'm now twenty-two. I'm very much in the same boat as you, having done little except for get my GED and take a few college classes. But I am about to restart my life again, thanks to the help of a very good therapist, very good friends, and medication. Having mostly found my way out of my mess, I saw this topic and wanted to offer some words of advice from my experiences.

My main symptoms were:
disorganized thinking
hallucinations
occasional delusional thinking but not often at all

With one difference, that being that I realized that things "weren't right" and sought help, which seems to be atypical. I also hallucinate original music sometimes, which also is atypical. My great level of lucidity about my symptoms, as well as the unusual hallucinations, were two of the reasons I am psychotic disorder NOS instead of schizophrenic.

Anyway, now that I've laid that out....the most important thing I did to get out of it was maintaining a calm curiosity about things. What I mean by this is, when something weird happens, you hallucinate, you start spacing out....stay as calm as you can and ask "why." When you find the "why," then question that! And stay calm through the process as best you can. =) If you find yourself ruminating or overthinking things or otherwise not making progress, meditate and then start again once your mind is clear...which brings me to my next point...

Learn to meditate, lol. Meditation is medicine for the mind, and it can be done even in a highly psychotic state without harming oneself (or at least, I never came to harm by it and I've been pretty disorganized.) I've been doing it for two and a half years daily now. I'm no expert, but if you want me to paste a copy of a meditation guide I wrote for a friend in here on what I do, just ask and I'd be happy to. =) It's kinda long though so I'm leaving it out of this post.

I'd also advise to hold off on energy work or practices like it until you're more organized. I waited, and I'm glad I did. Although the practice of energy work has benefited me greatly, it also has had some weird "side effects", like being very spaced out once as some energy blockages cleared. Although I've spaced out before due to my disorder, this was very different, unlike anything I've felt previously. It was quite clearly the result of the energy work. So trying this stuff before you are organized can actually hurt you more than it helps you if you aren't sufficiently grounded in yourself, I imagine.

Well this post has gotten pretty long hehe, if you have any questions about my particular brand of psychosis, or about how I got out of it, I'd be happy to answer, just ask.

Couldn't figure out how to edit my post, but I wanted to add that at one point I was also so paranoid that people were out to get me that I could barely have social interactions, if I could have them at all. I've been over that for so long that I didn't remember. =) It is possible to escape from that sort of thing, I thought I never would, but it is. =)