Due to the severe nature of schizophrenia, it is the only responsible thing to do to take a deep breath, gather the friends relevant to the household and any others you feel you can actually trust to not judge you. Those people are going to be your support group and they will be very important in helping you to keep it together whenever you have a bad day.
Sit them all down and give them the abridged version of your diagnosis, but do not leave out how severe your symptoms can become. A person needs to be fully aware of what they are getting into when assisting a schizophrenia patient. Be sure to comfort them by letting them know that you'll be medicated and will be attending therapy sessions, (and that a medicated schizophrenic is completely capable of leading a normal, happy life) but a bad day is a bad day, and a bad day with schizophrenia isn't as simple as taking a cool shower and shaking it off.
The best way to confront this is with full disclosure and head-on. You retain your right to privacy, but anyone you live with must know what to realistically expect from you. Full disclosure means fewer days where you could take someone off guard and confuse them; as long as they equally understand what is going on with you, they are equally capable of comforting you and being a positive, reassuring influence. It will also assist you to know that you can trust them.
As long as you confront what is going on with you directly, leaving no room for avoidance of any problems, and maintain safe environments, you maximize your quality of life and that of others.
Now to the tough love part: no matter how bad you get on your worst irrational day, keep a reminder somewhere that you pass by regularly that you are not crazy. Make a reassuring recording of yourself in a completely lucid state reminding yourself of how to calm down, what you're going through, and that you are okay. That way you see your own face, hear your own voice, and know that you can trust yourself to look out for your well-being.
Be mercilessly down-to-earth with yourself. We are dynamic thinking beings, and at any given time we have innumberable thought processes going on internally, and if you have trouble focusing, write down what you are doing as a reference. I have ADHD, I am a former US Soldier, and I still have to do this. The forgetfulness of ADHD is absolutely comparable with the way the mind can wander in schizophrenia. This practice of writing down goal-oriented notes for reference helps to keep my mind on-track, and as an added reminder, (such as if I am out in town running errands) I carry the relevant note in my hand, so that if my mind gets away from me, all I have to do is look into my palm and there is my reminder.
An addendum: I'm just throwing this in here, you don't have to do it. I also developed the habit of spontaneously asking myself "What am I doing?" and checking my notes. (my attention-deficit is THAT bad) It is this good habit-forming technique of redundant accountability that helps minimize my distraction from important tasks. As I said, you don't have to develop redundant accountability techniques, but it is a perspective of how to help keep your focus sharp.
Without knowing your full diagnosis, that is the best body of advice that I can give. You are among friends here at BlahTherapy, so if you ever have anything to get off your chest or just feel like chatting, my inbox is always open.
Never forget that you deserve the same chance to pursue your happiness as anyone else. Never let anything or anyone stifle your will to live happily. Most importantly of all, never forget that you matter, and you are not alone.
