Well, this Thursday is Thanksgiving, and I wanted to warn you about something. You should be able to enjoy the holiday just as much as everyone else, but you still need to be aware of this:
Bipolar Warning: On Thanksgiving, as on all holidays, birthdays, etc., we with bipolar disorder can tend to get TOO excited, sometimes kicking us into a bipolar manic episode. Don't let this happen to you because of the holidays.
Of course, there is going to be more activity at this time of the year. For most people, it is a very exciting time. We put up decorations, get a Christmas tree, buy presents, go to family gatherings, and overall expend more energy and engage in more activity than normal, or at other times of the year.
However, this can be a bad thing. Excitement can become stressful, and possibly even overwhelm you at holiday time.
For example, if you normally are not around a lot of people (like me, because I work from home), going to a holiday gathering with a lot of people there might make you uncomfortable at best, or kick you into a bipolar episode at worst.
If you have bipolar disorder, you need to watch yourself around these holidays more than usual. You should know what triggers your bipolar episodes, and you need to watch that you don't experience those triggers, as much as you can.
For example, it is very important that you stick to your normal sleep schedule, even if it means leaving an event or gathering early. If you start to lose sleep because of holiday excitement, it could trigger a bipolar manic episode, and you don't want that.
Try as much as you can to stick to your normal routine. The reason I say "as much as you can" is that it is normal that holiday time would be disruptive to your routine. I'm not saying that is necessarily bad, I'm just saying to be careful of upsets to your routine, and try to compensate for them.
If going into department stores is too overwhelming for you with all the holiday traffic and increase of people in the stores themselves, try to do your shopping online. Just make sure that you make a budget and stick to it. In other words, it is just as easy to overspend online as it is in the regular stores, sometimes worse for some people.
Anyway, I just wanted to warn you not to let down your guard just because it's the holiday season. Stay on top of your triggers, watch for signs and symptoms of an episode, and try to stick to your normal routine as much as possible, keeping the excitement within normal limits, and you should have a great holiday!
Happy Thanksgiving!
Wishing you peace and stability,
Remember God loves you and so do I,
Michele
Tuesday, November 24, 2009
Thursday, November 19, 2009
I'm Glad I Have Bipolar Disorder
Ok, before you start thinking I'm crazy or in a bipolar episode, let me explain the title of this post. I'm glad that I have bipolar disorder, and not another untreatable disease. On my other blog, I compared it to cancer, where you can go into "remission," if you recognize remission as "absence of symptoms."
Like someone in remission with cancer, we can also have an absence of symptoms with our bipolar disorder. We call that "stability."
Yes, bipolar disorder is incurable - I'm not disputing that. But I am saying that at least it's a treatable condition.
Of course, you have to cooperate in your own recovery, doing things like taking your medication religiously, seeing a doctor, psychiatrist and/or therapist, sleeping right and eating right, taking care of yourself and keeping a balance between your physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual needs. But the fact is that it IS possible to recover from bipolar disorder.
Sometimes I hear from supporters who are so frustrated and discouraged, and say that they only wish their loved one were more like me, but that they really struggle with their bipolar disorder. My heart breaks for them. I wish I could help each and every one of them, but the only thing I can do is tell the truth as I know it and share my experience, strength, and hope with others, through my blogs and articles, encouraging others that if I can recover, so can they.
One thing I would stress is that if you don't take your medication religiously, I can't promise you recovery from bipolar disorder (I couldn't promise you recovery anyway, but you know what I mean). I am totally FOR medication. Of course, it may be a trial to find the right medication, but you're listening to someone who knows about that - I definitely went through a struggle trying to find the right "sanity cocktail" for me. I've even had shock treatments (ECT) as part of my treatment, so I know how difficult it can be to control bipolar symptoms at times.
One reason I'm glad I have bipolar disorder is that it forces me to be more in control of myself and the meeting of my needs. I have grown so much in self-development since I was diagnosed - and remember, I wasn't diagnosed until my mid-40's. Many people who don't struggle with a mental illness take their mental (and physical, emotional, and spiritual) health for granted. We have to be more on guard.
I don't believe that people who don't have bipolar disorder "work at it" as hard as we do. And by "work at it," I mean work at keeping a balance and lack of stress in our lives. Because that is what leads to stability - our eternal goal.
Yet once you reach stability, you can really enjoy your life again. At least I have. Yes, I have to make certain concessions to the disorder, but for the most part, I live a relatively stress-free, successful, happy, "normal" life (defining "normal" by bipolar standards).
Wishing you peace and stability,
Remember God loves you and so do I,
Michele
Like someone in remission with cancer, we can also have an absence of symptoms with our bipolar disorder. We call that "stability."
Yes, bipolar disorder is incurable - I'm not disputing that. But I am saying that at least it's a treatable condition.
Of course, you have to cooperate in your own recovery, doing things like taking your medication religiously, seeing a doctor, psychiatrist and/or therapist, sleeping right and eating right, taking care of yourself and keeping a balance between your physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual needs. But the fact is that it IS possible to recover from bipolar disorder.
Sometimes I hear from supporters who are so frustrated and discouraged, and say that they only wish their loved one were more like me, but that they really struggle with their bipolar disorder. My heart breaks for them. I wish I could help each and every one of them, but the only thing I can do is tell the truth as I know it and share my experience, strength, and hope with others, through my blogs and articles, encouraging others that if I can recover, so can they.
One thing I would stress is that if you don't take your medication religiously, I can't promise you recovery from bipolar disorder (I couldn't promise you recovery anyway, but you know what I mean). I am totally FOR medication. Of course, it may be a trial to find the right medication, but you're listening to someone who knows about that - I definitely went through a struggle trying to find the right "sanity cocktail" for me. I've even had shock treatments (ECT) as part of my treatment, so I know how difficult it can be to control bipolar symptoms at times.
One reason I'm glad I have bipolar disorder is that it forces me to be more in control of myself and the meeting of my needs. I have grown so much in self-development since I was diagnosed - and remember, I wasn't diagnosed until my mid-40's. Many people who don't struggle with a mental illness take their mental (and physical, emotional, and spiritual) health for granted. We have to be more on guard.
I don't believe that people who don't have bipolar disorder "work at it" as hard as we do. And by "work at it," I mean work at keeping a balance and lack of stress in our lives. Because that is what leads to stability - our eternal goal.
Yet once you reach stability, you can really enjoy your life again. At least I have. Yes, I have to make certain concessions to the disorder, but for the most part, I live a relatively stress-free, successful, happy, "normal" life (defining "normal" by bipolar standards).
Wishing you peace and stability,
Remember God loves you and so do I,
Michele
Monday, November 16, 2009
Kindness Goes a Long Way (Bipolar or Not)
I've started to do my Christmas shopping on ebay (early, aren't I?), and I have to tell you about something that happened to me.
I collect kneeling Santa's (have for many years), and am always looking out for new ones. Well, I found a decoupage kneeling Santa ornament on ebay, and bought it.
Today I got an email from the woman who was selling it, telling me that when she looked at it, she thought it was "sub-standard" by her standards.
So what she did was re-decoupage the ornament herself, and is sending it to me. But that's not all - she also refunded all my money! Now, that's not something she had to do. It had to come from her character. Amazing to find an honest person these days!
Oops - better watch that - my own cynicism is peeking through, when I was just about to urge you to stop being cynical about people and how they treat each other. :)
It's the small kindnesses that count. After all, kindness is free. And during these poor economic times, when everyone is struggling, other people might really appreciate a simple kindness from you - like that harried woman in the department store whose child won't stop screaming. I'm sure she could use some encouragement, or at least a tiny bit of kindness.
I truly believe in "random acts of kindness." I think it's the way people should always treat each other, whether it's Christmastime or not.
We people with bipolar disorder sometimes complain about the stigma we feel because of the disorder. But maybe the kindness has to come from us first - to show other people the good side of someone with a mental disorder.
Anyway, I really appreciated what this woman did for me with the ornament on ebay. But more than that, I appreciated the lesson that came with it. There are still good people in the world.
Wishing you peace and stability,
Remember God loves you and so do I,
Michele
I collect kneeling Santa's (have for many years), and am always looking out for new ones. Well, I found a decoupage kneeling Santa ornament on ebay, and bought it.
Today I got an email from the woman who was selling it, telling me that when she looked at it, she thought it was "sub-standard" by her standards.
So what she did was re-decoupage the ornament herself, and is sending it to me. But that's not all - she also refunded all my money! Now, that's not something she had to do. It had to come from her character. Amazing to find an honest person these days!
Oops - better watch that - my own cynicism is peeking through, when I was just about to urge you to stop being cynical about people and how they treat each other. :)
It's the small kindnesses that count. After all, kindness is free. And during these poor economic times, when everyone is struggling, other people might really appreciate a simple kindness from you - like that harried woman in the department store whose child won't stop screaming. I'm sure she could use some encouragement, or at least a tiny bit of kindness.
I truly believe in "random acts of kindness." I think it's the way people should always treat each other, whether it's Christmastime or not.
We people with bipolar disorder sometimes complain about the stigma we feel because of the disorder. But maybe the kindness has to come from us first - to show other people the good side of someone with a mental disorder.
Anyway, I really appreciated what this woman did for me with the ornament on ebay. But more than that, I appreciated the lesson that came with it. There are still good people in the world.
Wishing you peace and stability,
Remember God loves you and so do I,
Michele
Friday, November 13, 2009
Bipolar on Vacation?
Well, I'm down in Florida sneaking a vacation into my busy schedule, and enjoying every minute of it! I'm actually visiting my parents who live here.
I've been having a wonderful time so far. It's been so relaxing, and so enjoyable being able to talk with my mom. See, she has bipolar disorder too, so it's nice not having to worry about how I'm acting - I can be real with my mom. She knows how I feel, so I can really talk to her about everything. I'm so grateful for that.
And my dad cracks me up! He reminds me of one of Jeff Dunham's puppets - Walter! LOL He doesn't realize he's being so funny, which makes it even funnier! What a blast. He is very protective of my mom, as her supporter. It's so wonderful to see such a good supporter in action. So is my husband. Even tho he also has bipolar disorder, he is still my supporter. So he and my dad do a lot of talking as well.
But before I left for vacation, one of the first things I did was check all my medications. I had to make sure I had enough of everything for the whole time I'd be here. I didn't do that one time and found myself in the Bahamas unable to fill a prescription I needed. Not bad enough to go into an episode, but I was a little more nervous than usual. But my husband was so supportive, and helped me get through it.
The problem with bipolar disorder is that it never takes a vacation. Everywhere you go, everything you do, you carry the disorder with you. So if you do go on vacation, you really have to watch yourself. Like you can't get too excited, or you might go manic. It's good to rest some as well. Not sleep or nap during the day (or you'll have trouble sleeping at night), but just rest between activities so you stay calm and unstressed.
And watch the shopping! I've had to really watch myself so that I don't spend all my vacation money on shopping. Just be reasonable with your purchases, and if you do feel manicky, stay out of the stores!
I'm glad to be able to tell you that it IS possible to go on vacation with bipolar disorder. Don't be so afraid of it that you let it keep you from enjoying life. You have to be prepared and watch youself when you're on vacation, but if you do that, you can have a great one and still stay stable!
Well, I'm going back to my vacation now. Don't be jealous! LOL
Wishing you peace and stability,
Remember God loves you and so do I,
Michele
I've been having a wonderful time so far. It's been so relaxing, and so enjoyable being able to talk with my mom. See, she has bipolar disorder too, so it's nice not having to worry about how I'm acting - I can be real with my mom. She knows how I feel, so I can really talk to her about everything. I'm so grateful for that.
And my dad cracks me up! He reminds me of one of Jeff Dunham's puppets - Walter! LOL He doesn't realize he's being so funny, which makes it even funnier! What a blast. He is very protective of my mom, as her supporter. It's so wonderful to see such a good supporter in action. So is my husband. Even tho he also has bipolar disorder, he is still my supporter. So he and my dad do a lot of talking as well.
But before I left for vacation, one of the first things I did was check all my medications. I had to make sure I had enough of everything for the whole time I'd be here. I didn't do that one time and found myself in the Bahamas unable to fill a prescription I needed. Not bad enough to go into an episode, but I was a little more nervous than usual. But my husband was so supportive, and helped me get through it.
The problem with bipolar disorder is that it never takes a vacation. Everywhere you go, everything you do, you carry the disorder with you. So if you do go on vacation, you really have to watch yourself. Like you can't get too excited, or you might go manic. It's good to rest some as well. Not sleep or nap during the day (or you'll have trouble sleeping at night), but just rest between activities so you stay calm and unstressed.
And watch the shopping! I've had to really watch myself so that I don't spend all my vacation money on shopping. Just be reasonable with your purchases, and if you do feel manicky, stay out of the stores!
I'm glad to be able to tell you that it IS possible to go on vacation with bipolar disorder. Don't be so afraid of it that you let it keep you from enjoying life. You have to be prepared and watch youself when you're on vacation, but if you do that, you can have a great one and still stay stable!
Well, I'm going back to my vacation now. Don't be jealous! LOL
Wishing you peace and stability,
Remember God loves you and so do I,
Michele
Thursday, November 5, 2009
Correction on How to Vote
Sorry I gave the wrong instructions in my last post on voting for me as a top blogger with www.wellsphere.com
What you do is go to www.wellsphere.com, then go to search site for, and put in my full name (Michele Soloway Sexton), which will take you to my page and my articles.
Next to each article is an icon of a small b inside a circle. Click on that icon to vote.
Thanks again for your vote,
Michele
What you do is go to www.wellsphere.com, then go to search site for, and put in my full name (Michele Soloway Sexton), which will take you to my page and my articles.
Next to each article is an icon of a small b inside a circle. Click on that icon to vote.
Thanks again for your vote,
Michele
Please Vote For Me For Top Bipolar Blogger Today
As some of you already know, this blog is also published at www.wellsphere.com. Well, they are in the process of deciding who the Top 100 Bloggers are, and I am in the running. I need all the votes I can get, so please vote for me at: http://www.wellsphere.com/dr-geoff-profile/15026.
I really appreciate it.
If I am in this category, I can reach even more people and offer encouragement and help with their bipolar disorder.
Since recovery from bipolar disorder is what I am all about, receiving this honor would enable me to reach those people who are not sure, or don't believe, that recovery from bipolar disorder is possible.
I always want people to know that recovery IS possible, no matter how bad it looks right now.
Wishing you peace and stability,
Remember God loves you and so do I,
Michele
ps. Don't forget to vote! Thanks.
I really appreciate it.
If I am in this category, I can reach even more people and offer encouragement and help with their bipolar disorder.
Since recovery from bipolar disorder is what I am all about, receiving this honor would enable me to reach those people who are not sure, or don't believe, that recovery from bipolar disorder is possible.
I always want people to know that recovery IS possible, no matter how bad it looks right now.
Wishing you peace and stability,
Remember God loves you and so do I,
Michele
ps. Don't forget to vote! Thanks.
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