Bipolar Brain Dance

We can go through life feeling sorry for ourselves for the sucky cards we were dealt… OR… we can make the necessary adjustments and live life to the fullest.

Management Monday: back to the basics.

I can give ideas on mental management till my face is blue… but no matter what new insights I get along the way, I always find myself doing better when I got back to the basics: meditation, exercise, routine.

Your basics may be different than mine. Just know if they worked once, they’ll still work.

Have you ever been able to answer the question “why me”? Can you share?

It’s all about your attitude.

“Take care of yourself” can mean so many things. The trick is to find which thing is it right now, and to do it without guilt.

Management Monday: learn about your illness.

The more you know, the more you understand what is textbook (insert illness here), what is your illness, and what is just you.

… and the more capable you will be in managing it.

Bipolar (or other mental health issue) aside, who are you truly?

Do what you can- and that is enough.

Thursday Thought: I’ve recently been learning about Howard Gardner and his book “Frames of Mind”- teaching about his Multiple Intelligences Theory. Everyone learns in a different way- through a combination of different “intelligences”. For a while I thought that was it- you have your way of learning, and that’s it.

But I’m finding more and more reasons to support the other side of the coin. Yes, it helps to learn through your means- for me, bodily-kinesthetic is huge for me. However, it is also important to learn how to learn through other means- ways that might be harder for you. (For more information, try reading the book “Frames of Mind: the theory of Multiple Intelligences” by Howard Gardner.

For example, the way you cope with your mental health issues right now, might only include the artistic approaches- things your comfortable trying. But if you try approaches that are a different in nature, like more logical or language based… you might just access a different part of your brain that also needs relief.

Management Monday: Let yourself grieve. Let yourself cry.

It is not easy carrying around the burden of managing a mental illness. It is easy to think once you’ve accepted it, everything will be easier… but hear this: grieving a mental illness is not a linear process. You will return to grieve multiple times, and there’s nothing wrong with that. You are not only allowed, but encouraged to feel what you feel- acknowledge it. Let yourself walk through it in order to process what you feel, and then decide what to do with it.

Crying, screaming, etc are part of the process. Give yourself permission. Take the time you need. Be kind to yourself.

What’s the one strategy that helps you manage your mental health the most?

It’s all about keeping the balance.

For those family and friends- a little food for thought

Management BLAST Monday

For myself, I’m leaning towards thinking of Valentine’s Day as a day for self-love instead of romantic love. What is something you can do this week to love yourself?

It is increasingly interesting to me how much movement is connected to our emotions in our brains. Learning how to control movement starting when we’re babies is one of the most effective ways our brains build neurons and create neural pathways inside the brain as well as between the brain and the body.

These pathways are able to change and create new ones all the way through adulthood including old age. This is one of the reasons we are told to exercise; not just for staying thin and physically fit, but to help keep our brain connected throughout our lives.

Management Monday: do what you love.

Most of us that have Bipolar Disorder are depressed way more often than we are manic. And living every day life in a depressed, don’t care about anything state, is very disheartening, and frequently feels like life is pointless. It is easy to pass from here into suicidal ideation.

To help counteract this affect, we need to find something to do that we love, brings us peace, or at least is interesting to us.

I mean this for work situations. If you are able to have a career with your circumstances, find one that can help you get through the day with a little purpose. If you can’t have a career or job, find something to do at home that helps you feel that same purpose. Hobbies can help fill this need. A lot of cases, too, can turn a hobby into a career.

What are your prejudices?

Performing Arts can have a positive effect in reducing anxiety, stress and combatting depression, as well as boosting confidence and making them feel more engaged and resilient. Attending a performing arts group provides students with space for a social connection, creating a sense of belonging.

Home Keeping you informed about psychology, mental health, and wellness

Crazy thought: if more people saw and accepted that life is not just black and white, good and evil, etc, and experienced the various shades of gray, there would be more compassion, more understanding, more options and acceptance of differences.