Originally posted on Our Movie Life:
Hey, guys! Sorry I’m a bit late with this post. (And LOL, if you think I was out celebrating Valentine’s Day, you are so wrong). I was wondering all day what to post today…
In Memoriam
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Recent Posts
Daily Archives: February 14, 2017
Reblog – 3 Movies to Watch on Valentine’s Day
Posted in Read Along
4 Reasons Why It’s Hard to Share a Mental Illness Diagnosis
Since I have been publicly sharing my bipolar disorder diagnosis I have had some very interesting responses from other people. Most of the time people are very supportive, however, when they start to know a bit more about the struggle sometimes the questioning looks begin to happen. Here are my top four reasons Why It’s Hard to Share a Mental Illness Diagnosis.
#1 – People wonder if you are “crazy”
The general public has so little information on mental illness they don’t have a true idea on what the struggle really is about. Granted there might be some “crazy” times in the world of a person who lives with severe mental illness. But I have also personally experienced many times where I am really rather quite normal. If I am really “crazy” you will know it.
#2 – They think you are always sick
Had a bad day? Stressed out over life changes? Not in a good mood? The moment I am not my usual friendly self, sometimes I get very strange looks from people who mean very well, but don’t realize I am not always sick. There are days when I am simply having a bad day. Everyone has those days. I just don’t get the leeway like everyone else.
#3 – People don’t believe you can recover
When I say I struggle and I battle and I fight bipolar disorder, this really means I manage it. I work extremely hard at being “normal.” Not everyone can get their illness to the point where they feel as if they have recovered. I am not one of those people. I have several occasions where I have been either extremely manic or so depressed I could not get out of bed, but I always get better and return to a fairly high level of activity.
#4 – Oh the stigma
There are countless misunderstandings about mental illness that is created as a result of stigma. Stigma is shame. Shame causes silence. Silence hurts us all. This is my number one reason why I am an advocate. There more I talk about living with bipolar disorder, hopefully the more people will see that I am more like everyone else than I am different. I just happen to struggle with an illness that effects my brain. Does that make me a crazy, wacko, nuts or psyhco? I don’t think so. The more people come into contact with someone who is open about their mental illness the faster we can eliminate stigma.
My message to those who live with a mental illness is: Keep talking about it or start talking about it. Don’t be afraid. Because all of these obstacles I mentioned can be overcome. That’s how change occurs.
Posted in Read Along
Sick Day Two
Bob is still ill. If he still can’t eat solid food tomorrow, I need to insist that he go to the doctor. Hopefully he will listen. But he is resting up pretty good, watching movies and playing on the computer. He’s in a good mood, so that is something.
Trying to work on my stuff for class and having a hard time of it. I’m trying to transition to writing with a new voice and it is difficult. Trying to undo the restraints of objectivity and detachment. Hopefully I can accomplish it.
I think I am a little scared to open up really because I don’t want the sensations of my down times to swallow me up. Kind of like trying to go back and work on my old fiction–I don’t want thoughts of the salesman to swallow me up again so I avoid doing it. So we will see how this will go.
Posted in Read Along
Happy Valentines Day!
A wonderful friend shared this song with me this morning and I thought I would pass it along. You can’t help but feel good with this one! Lydia!Filed under: music, relationships Tagged: blogging, blogs, Carole King, Friends, music, Valentine’s Day
Alternative Treatment For Depression
A bipolar friend is in a severe depressive phase. She is undergoing ECT. It is drastic intervention to try to help her, because, for the past two weeks she is […]
Posted in Read Along
2017 – A Year of Purpose
Seriously?! Where did January go? This right here is exactly why I needed my word of the year to be PURPOSE.
Long story short, I choose one word each year. Lots of thought and prayer goes into my decision. And then I try to let that word guide my year. I never know how it's going to play out; there are always interesting surprises.
My word for 2017 is purpose.
It can be tough to explain why I choose the word I do. Sometimes it's totally clear. Other times it's pretty ethereal. Usually writing it out helps. Let's see what happens this time.
People who know me, people who are close to me, know my life is never boring. That's the nice way to put it. My life is often quite complicated and difficult. There are so many areas of my life that go nuts on a regular basis like a drop of water on a hot, greased skillet.
I often feel like I'm dancing on a moving floor. Things are rarely predictable. Try as I might, I rarely feel like I have my footing. Like I'm running my own life.
But it's been worse lately. My life has definitely been running me. A lot! Flinging me around like a dog with a rag doll in its teeth. And I feel it.
I've spent way too much time lately feeling in tatters. Like my dress is shredded, I'm missing a shoe, and one of my eyes is hanging loosely from the socket. (Still a rag doll metaphor. Not blood and gore.)
I'm running around putting out fires. I'm doing this or that because I HAVE to. I'm the flotsam and jetsam on the ocean, flung wherever the waves take me.
It's not a happy way to live. It's not peaceful at all. And peace is always my main goal for my life.
So as I pondered my word, my heart went this direction. Just as a feeling. A sense of what I wanted. But without the words. And then the word came. Purpose. I need purpose.
It's not that I need purpose in my life, overall. I have that. I have oodles of that.
I need purpose in the moments. In the days. In the plans. In the relationships. In the decisions of my life.
I need to steer my life.
We're two weeks into February. I wanted to write this on January first. Guess how well I'm doing so far.
I do have moments. I've chosen to dedicate my runs (or hikes or whatever) to people in my life. Once in a while, someone will be on my mind and in my heart. So I take them with me when I run. Not always, but frequently. When the run gets hard, I remember whom I'm running for and why. Usually gratitude floods over me in that moment. How blessed I am that I can run!
And there've been other moments. Moments I remember to stop. Think. Choose.
But not nearly enough.
Today was kind of an over-the-top kind of day. I was slammed on all sides. Stress. Stress. A little more stress. Some anxiety. And how about some STRESS? Some irrational demands. Some innocent demands hitting on top of everything else. Text. Text. Text. Phone call. Phone call. Phone call. Request. Request. Request. All day long. And some gut-wrenching struggles for people I love, people I need to take care of.
I was not in control for much of the day. And then I was. And it was better.
And tomorrow it will start all over again.
Lots of opportunities for growth. Lots of chances to find my purpose.
Long story short, I choose one word each year. Lots of thought and prayer goes into my decision. And then I try to let that word guide my year. I never know how it's going to play out; there are always interesting surprises.
My word for 2017 is purpose.
It can be tough to explain why I choose the word I do. Sometimes it's totally clear. Other times it's pretty ethereal. Usually writing it out helps. Let's see what happens this time.
People who know me, people who are close to me, know my life is never boring. That's the nice way to put it. My life is often quite complicated and difficult. There are so many areas of my life that go nuts on a regular basis like a drop of water on a hot, greased skillet.
I often feel like I'm dancing on a moving floor. Things are rarely predictable. Try as I might, I rarely feel like I have my footing. Like I'm running my own life.
But it's been worse lately. My life has definitely been running me. A lot! Flinging me around like a dog with a rag doll in its teeth. And I feel it.
I've spent way too much time lately feeling in tatters. Like my dress is shredded, I'm missing a shoe, and one of my eyes is hanging loosely from the socket. (Still a rag doll metaphor. Not blood and gore.)
I'm running around putting out fires. I'm doing this or that because I HAVE to. I'm the flotsam and jetsam on the ocean, flung wherever the waves take me.
It's not a happy way to live. It's not peaceful at all. And peace is always my main goal for my life.
So as I pondered my word, my heart went this direction. Just as a feeling. A sense of what I wanted. But without the words. And then the word came. Purpose. I need purpose.
It's not that I need purpose in my life, overall. I have that. I have oodles of that.
I need purpose in the moments. In the days. In the plans. In the relationships. In the decisions of my life.
I need to steer my life.
We're two weeks into February. I wanted to write this on January first. Guess how well I'm doing so far.
I do have moments. I've chosen to dedicate my runs (or hikes or whatever) to people in my life. Once in a while, someone will be on my mind and in my heart. So I take them with me when I run. Not always, but frequently. When the run gets hard, I remember whom I'm running for and why. Usually gratitude floods over me in that moment. How blessed I am that I can run!
And there've been other moments. Moments I remember to stop. Think. Choose.
But not nearly enough.
Today was kind of an over-the-top kind of day. I was slammed on all sides. Stress. Stress. A little more stress. Some anxiety. And how about some STRESS? Some irrational demands. Some innocent demands hitting on top of everything else. Text. Text. Text. Phone call. Phone call. Phone call. Request. Request. Request. All day long. And some gut-wrenching struggles for people I love, people I need to take care of.
I was not in control for much of the day. And then I was. And it was better.
And tomorrow it will start all over again.
Lots of opportunities for growth. Lots of chances to find my purpose.
