Bipolar? Do Something!

We have a tendency to complicate things, especially when we're in an episode. Well, I read this new book on bipolar disorder and this man truly simplified everything - he said that when you're in a depressive episode and you're so overwhelmed that you can't even get out of bed, DO SOMETHING!

Even if it's taking a shower or making your bed, do something! Anything! He says to just "move your muscles." Simple. Not easy, but simple. Even if you have to force yourself to do it.

He was in this really bad, really dark, all-encompassing depression one time, he writes, and it was around Christmastime. He'd been sitting in the same spot for a long time. Just sitting. Thinking that that's all he could do, that he was too depressed to do anything else.

Then he thought of the "do something" idea. So he made himself decorate his house for Christmas. He didn't WANT to do it, he MADE himself do it.

After it was done, he felt a sense of accomplishment. He had done something. He had finished something he had started. He was still depressed, but a little less so, because he had made himself do something despite his depression.

He felt a little better about himself and his situation. All because he did something. Maybe he didn't want to do it, but he did it anyway, and look at the results.

I can so relate to this. There was a time when I was so depressed and feeling so overwhelmed that I was frozen and couldn't do anything. My dining room table had gotten cluttered to the point where you couldn't see the top of the table any more.

The more I looked at it and thought, "I should clean that," the more depressed and overwhelmed I got. It was awful. I stayed like that for months, frozen, unable to do anything about my dining room table and all that clutter.

Then one day I made myself pick at a corner of it. Just do a small part. A little bit of cleaning up the clutter. It actually exhausted me, because it was emotionally draining for me. But the fact was, I did it! Not a whole lot, but I did something. And I was able to look at it and think, "I did that." And to take pride in the fact that a corner of that mess was clean.

The next day I forced myself to do another corner. And I felt a little better. I felt a sense of accomplishment. I was actually proud of myself for having done something, and not just sitting around like I had been for months.

Each day I picked at a small part of that dining room table. Just a small part. I still didn't want to - it still seemed an overwhelming task for me. But I made myself concentrate on only a small part.

It took more than a week to clear off that dining room table, working at it this way, a small part at a time, but I did it.

I can't say that the depression miraculously lifted or anything, but I can say that I felt better for having done something. For accomplishing something when I'd felt so overwhelmed that even a shower seemed out of the question.

Gradually, by doing these "somethings," I did come out of that depression. Little things added up, and in time I was able to do more things, and to feel better about myself.

If you are in a depression right now, DO SOMETHING! Start small, like I did, like this man did... just do something, anything. Make yourself do it if you have to, but do it. Move your muscles, as he says!

Gradually your depression will be lifted, as you do more "somethings." As you start to feel better about yourself. You've got to start somewhere, and you've got to start sometime. How about now?

And don't forget to check out my bipolar book at: www.brokenroseministries.com

Wishing you peace and stability,

Remember God loves you and so do I,
Michele