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How To Tame Bi-Polar Disorder

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It's Been Said That Hindsight is 20/20....

 

When you've been given the news that you are suffering from bi-polar disorder, the best medicine is the ability to talk to someone who has been there; done that!

As with most instances in life, the story of someone else's experience with the same issue can provide you with some valuable insight about your impending journey... not to mention some much needed comfort, and relief when you realize that you're not crazy; you're just chemically deficient!

Join me on a stroll down memory lane as I share with you a little of the story about how I learned about the neuro-chemical deficiency within my brain chemistry, and what it took to calm the cycle of never ending, self-defeating behaviors.

Not to fear... the story has a happy ending! If you or a loved one are suffering from a brain-based illness; read on, and discover hope for your medical dilemma!

The Oasis Club Peer Center 

Friends in Low Places...

A group of my friends from home are meeting today in celebration of a milestone...and I am homesick to see them!

What's the occasion? I'm glad you asked!

It's the 10-year anniversary of the opening of a drop in center that this particular group of friends are responsible for building. No, they didn't do the actual construction of the building, but they did do all of the legwork, and the myriad of details that go into seeking and attaining a government grant for a designated purpose.

I was there at the time this project was being undertaken, but I was too ill to do much but show up at sporadic intervals of time; and lend what moral support I could muster.

Tuesday, August 21, 2007 

Bi-Polar Disorder Generates Low Self Esteem and Decreased Physical Capabilities 

Drop-In Centers Provide a Place of Respite... They Are Places That Are Filled With People Who Truly Understand!

It seems impossible that it's been more than 10 years, yet in many ways it seems like only yesterday.

That period of time was a very dark time in my life...some of these friends were enduring their own hard times as well. The alternating mania and depression of bi-polar disorder hover like an incredibly dark storm cloud.

So...just what is a drop-in center, and why do we need them?

This particular one is a place for consumers of mental health services.

It's place to find peer support for people who have been diagnosed with brain-based disorders...also known as mental illness.

It's a place where friends gather to lend support, comfort and encouragement in the daily battle to manage the signs and symptoms mental illnesses.

The Harsh Realities of Mental Illness 

Mental illness is a home-wrecker...

Mental illness is debilitating and filled with sorrow...

Mental illness is a medical problem that manifests itself in emotions...

Mental illness places people into a category that is defined as "psycho"-somatic...

The label of mental illness adds insult to the injury of those who are already enduring the haunting illnesses that affect the brain.

Mental Illness is a Dark Reality That Often Creates Overwhelming Depression and Hopelessness 

It's an all pervading heaviness that is so devastating in nature that it creates the very real danger of contemplating suicide. The dark nature of depression often prevents people from crying out for help.

Our nation is inundated with people who are struggling through many dark nights of weeping, aloneness, fear, and in many cases; poverty that is a repercussion of the inability to work due to health concerns.

Poverty is only one of the by-products of the deep emotional states that are an inherent part of mental illness.

Isolation, seclusion and frequent hospitalizations are often a part of the overall process that is necessary to cope with brain-based illnesses.

Oh, Ye of Little Faith... Just Give it to Jesus.... 

I can't tell you how many times I heard THAT comment!

Since I was a child, I have tried to live my life according to the dictates of the Bible.

When mental illness reared it's ugly head in my life; I ran head on into the confusion that comes from the realities of a brain-based illness; and the lack of understanding on the part of those who just admonished me to "just give it to Jesus."

 

Lifehouse's Everything Skit 0 points

Religion and Psychiatry 

In many cases, the roles of religion and psychiatry can create even more confusion for the person wrestling with an illness that is defined by symptoms that are expressed through emotions and behavior.

My religious foundation wasn't equipped to deal with the realities of my mental health.

I wasn't equipped to face the reality of needing to seek psychiatric treatment.

The lack of knowledge and understanding about how to find help drove the course of my life for many years.

The Need For Change 

It was a long, dark journey into an unknown place that left me feeling overwhelmed, completely confused, and completely alone.

There was more than one night when I stood underneath a dark night sky and cried out to Jesus...I didn't understand what was happening to me, and I was consumed with feelings of guilt, shame and failure.

Out of the Frying Pan...and Into the Fire! 

I grew up in a Pentecostal environment...so I was well acquainted with the "fire" of deep emotional experiences!

Church services were lively and packed with emotion.

The mania that accompanies bi-polar disorder was unrecognizable for many years due to the highly charged nature of my religious tenets.

 

The other side of that coin is the depression that invariably comes after a period of mania.

For many years I cycled up and down, never realizing that there was a health issue taking place.

I always felt
(and was frequently TOLD)
that I was just "falling short" of living the "victorious Christian life."

No matter how many times I "gave it all to Jesus"...the rounds of depression would return.

The Road to Recovery 

The road to recovery was a terrifying path!

When the illness became completely incapacitating, I found myself hospitalized; and on the path to Social Security Disability.

It was a harsh journey, but it was also the path that led me to drop-in centers like the Oasis Club.

 

Social Security Online
Official website of the US Social Security Administration.
Benefits for People with Disabilities
The Social Security and Supplemental Security Income disability programs are the ... Social Security Disability Insurance pays benefits to you and certain ...
Social Security (United States) - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Social Security, in the United States, currently refers to the federal Old-Age, Survivors, and Disability Insurance (OASDI) program. ...

I Found People Who Not Only Understood Me.... 

They accepted, encouraged and celebrated me!

It's more than 10 years later, and even though I may not see them for extended intervals; we have a connection that overcomes the long periods of time when I am unable to communicate.

We bonded during a time when I was working my way through a process I didn't understand, and they were there to love me as I endured a healing process that felt as if it would never come to an end.

Seeing myself through the eyes of others taught me to value, respect and appreciate myself. By learning to gain control of and manage the medical condition that was ruining my life; I learned to see myself a successful overcomer rather than feeling like a perpetual failure.

I Learned a New Way of Expressing Myself... 

I learned to value and appreciate my artistic nature!

I spent most of my life putting out the fires that come from the extremes of bi-polar disorder.

Because I didn't recognize the fact that I was suffering from an illness; I lived in the whirlwind of chaos that is generated by the ups and downs of mania and depression.

I'm what's known as a "rapid cycler", so the force of the chaos was tremendous!

When hospitalization led me to "Recreation Therapy", I was at a loss!

As I journeyed through art projects, journaling, and
worksheets that dealt with how I thought about things; I discovered how much joy I experienced in the process of creating; no matter what medium I used to express myself!

I had always loved to craft, but I didn't realize the healing nature of engaging in those arts.

National Alliance For the Mentally Ill 

National Alliance for the Mentally Ill
NAMI ...aka the National Alliance on Mental Illness, is the nation's largest grassroots mental health organization.

They are dedicated to improving the lives of persons living with serious mental illness, as well as the family members who are affected by the challenges of mental health issues.

Florida Attorney Angela Vickers Advocates for Mental Health Parity 

Angela Vickers
Angela's book entitled "Brain Bondage" targets six professions, explaining how each can end stigma, and promote mental wellness and justice in our society.

Important Legislation is Under Way in Florida 

The Mental Health Parity Act in Florida
Ed Homan, Florida House of Representatives
The Mental Health Parity Act in Florida

Representative Homan Resides in Tampa 

The Oasis Peer Center 

The Oasis Peer Center
A place to find support and encouragement for those who deal with mental health issues.

Writing is My One True Passion! 

I really do love to play with words! I was reading the encyclopedia when I started school; which earned me the nickname of "Egghead"...very early in my school years!

I spent most of my childhood with my nose buried in a book of some sort. I wrote my first story when I was 8 years old.

As I began to participate in the activities that were part of my "treatment plan", I began to see myself from a very different perspective.

I began to see myself through the eyes of people who understood why I was always crying, and why I was always bouncing around like a super ball!

I was up and down more than an Olympic yo-yo team!

It was wonderful to come to the realization that the insanity of constant instability could be changed! It was equally wonderful to be spoken to with kindness, understanding and encouragement during the process.

Journaling: The Journey to My Future 

Journaling began as a recovery tool. I wrote endlessly about the overwhelming emotions that were wreaking havoc on my life.

In the beginning, it was an avalanche of emotion. Tears, sorrow, exclamations of grief; loss, confusion and despair.

But, over the course of the years, and sharing those thoughts with behavioral health specialists who would challenge some of my thinking lines; the journaling began to take on a completely different nature.

Writing became a problem-solving process!

Writing brought healing and much needed change!

Change is Good! 

Constant change and upheaval are one of the harsh challenges of bi-polar disorder, but changing the WAY you change is change for the good!

The road to change led me to blogging...writing; in living color! What a thrill that was!

I worked my way through the learning curve of online journals, blogs, and social networks.

I discovered how to convert my drawings to graphics, and upload them to my blog... I discovered a joy in creating! I was overcoming my workaholic tendencies, and learning to play!

I was learning to manage my activities; which helped me manage the sometimes rapidly swaying pendulum of mood swings.

God's Grace Notes Blog 

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Online Journaling Led Me to Online Bibles..... 

Crosswalk... Bible Study Resources
Crosswalk is my favorite online study tool...

Taming the Whirlwind Led to Increased Creative Productivity! 

Albert Eninstein 

"Insanity: doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results."
~Albert Einstein~

The roller coaster of mania and depression is a never ending cycle that eventually generates a breakdown.

The day finally comes when you have to stop the engines so someone can do an oil change and a tune-up!

I'm thankful to have landed in a place where people recognized the signs and symptoms, and helped me learn how to use the tools of thinking, reasoning, and taking action based on my own thoughts and perceptions!

I Know the Thoughts I Think Toward You... 

Infamous words!

Those are part of one of the verses of the Bible that spoke hope to me when I was enduring some of the darkest times of my life.

They are the words that are the foundation of God's Grace Notes...

"For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans to prosper and not to harm you, plans for hope and a future."
Jeremiah 29:11


The pictures in my logo are of Jesus, with Luke, the physician; and John the Baptist.

Jesus mediates between a gentle, soft spoken physician, and a fiery, wilderness prophet!

Overcoming the chasm between the calm and the storm of bi-polar is exemplified in the relationship I see between Jesus and the completely opposing natures of the men he chose to be his disciples!

Hope For a Bright Future 

"And I am sure that God, who began the good work within you, will continue his work until it is finally finished on that day when Christ Jesus comes back again."
Philippians 1:6

I Have Never Been Alone! 

During the stabilization process of my recovery, there were many nights when I felt as if God had completely abandoned and forsaken me.

I felt as if I had messed up so bad, that even He had decided I wasn't worth the effort...

What a horrible, dreadful emptiness that was!

Even in the face of feeling like He didn't care; He was still the place that I ran to...looking for comfort, solace and peace.

Those were the times that He proved his love to me. I felt anger, confusion, resentment, bitterness...the worst of the worst when it comes to human emotion.

I yelled, and raged, and cried... I vented all of the pent up rage and despair that was causing the roller coaster of emotional turmoil.

I shouted at Him, blamed him for the things I didn't understand...

I vented until I felt so ashamed...I poured out my agony, expecting him to tell me how "bad" I was. I expected him to chastise me for being so emotional.

But, that's not how he handled the situation!

Voices of Healing.... 

Trinity Broadcasting Network
Trinity Broadcasting Network was my constant companion during the darkest days of my journey.

The many voices of TBN ministers, musicians, and daily Bible studies spoke to me with words of love, hope, encouragement, celebration and acceptance.

TBN was a veritable lifeline in my darkest hours. The message was ALWAYS the same...

Dear Connie...Jesus LOVES You!

Do you know that the same message is for you, too?
Jesus loves you,too!

In the midst of the WORST of your turmoil, confusion, doubt and despair...just as you are right now;

JESUS LOVES YOU...and so do I!

My Peace I Give Unto You... 

"Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid."
John 14:27

I found peace and comfort in the God of the Bible...even when I was at my worst; he showed up with words of hope and encouragement...

He sent people who helped me learn to live one moment at a time, and learn to love myself in the process!


Jesus is the Master who knows how to deal with Religion AND Psychiatry!

Jesus, Hold My Hand! 

One of the songs I remember best from my childhood was
"Jesus, Hold My Hand"...
We were really good at singing it FAST!
When it comes to music...fast is an acceptable speed for a song, but thinking; like a fast song...also requires a measure of REST!

National Quartet Convention 2006- Southern Gospel Music 0 points

Three Bridges Feel Little Song Coming On 0 points

The Crabb Family - O, How I Love Jesus - NQC 0 points

A Work in Progress 

So, does that mean that I no longer struggle with the emotional ups and downs of the brain-based illness of bi-polar disorder?

Not completely! It means that I take inventory of myself...every single day. It means I monitor my thoughts, feelings, and general state of mind. It means I pay attention to ME, making certain I receive the care I need, so that my service to others remains in good balance!

It's a daily challenge to manage the ups and downs of emotion that can all too easily run rampant!

There are numerous factors that are part of maintaining the balance that prevents relapses into the extreme mood swings of mania or depression.

Taking care to maintain proper rest, nutrition and daily self care help to ensure the successful treatment of the person with bi-polar disorder.

The challenge is real, and is a daily battle; but emotional stability CAN be achieved and maintained!

The answer lies in the effective combination of faith and good medicine. I have discovered the truth of God's Word. When Jesus said that he came so we could have an abundant life; he meant it!

The Word of God changes your mind like the proper medicine changes your body chemistry!

"Beloved, I pray that you may prosper in all things and be in health, just as your soul prospers." III John 1:2

Self-Care is a Tremendous Tool 

Master, which is the great commandment in the law?

Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind.

This is the first and great commandment.

And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself.

Matthew 22:36-40

I Found a New Way of Living! 

It's important to learn to value your own need for care. Extreme moods and a faulty self-image can wreak havoc on your life.

There are some practical steps that can be a tremendous help in bringing peace to the storm of whirling emotions.

If you cope with the chaos and confusion that comes from the mental turmoil caused by bi-polar disorder; I encourage you to consider the fact that you take steps to help lessen the frequency and severity of manic-depressive episodes.

I've found the tools I needed to begin to heal; and I strive to remember to take good care of ME...every single day of my life!

After all, if you don't love and care for yourself, you can't offer hope and encouragement to your neighbor!

So.... Take Care of Yourself! 

* Eat meals at regular intervals...keeping your blood sugar balanced helps to maintain your mood

* Avoid excessive caffeine!

* Sleep! Create a schedule, an alarm clock, a "go to bed" call from a friend...anything it takes to remind you to maintain a good schedule of rest

* Take time for play

* Take notice of your mood when you are in an environment that has the potential to over-stimulate you.

* Be aware of your feelings...when you find yourself irritable and edgy, take some time to yourself!
Go swimming, take a hike, do something that gets you out of your current mindset

* Be gentle with yourself!

* Find someone you can talk to

* Take advantage of a drop-in center...you will find people there who understand how you feel; and will help you through the hard times!

* Don't be ashamed to cry, laugh, talk, or express yourself

* Journal!

* Be gentle with yourself!
You are lovable, and deserve to be treated as such.

* Don't forget to breathe!
Holding your breath is a typical reaction to rapid thinking!

* Last, but certainly not least...
take your meds! Every single day; take your meds.

* Did I mention yet that you need to take your meds?
Really, truly... do yourself and those who love you a favor, and take your meds!

Now..... Doesn't That Feel Good? 

You can experience a good life, and learn to overcome the challenges that are part of bi-polar disorder.

Learn to manage your "Self"...be gentle with yourself, and don't be afraid to ask for help when you need it!

I was hospitalized in January of '08 for a med stabilization. The good news is that it has been 7 years since the last time that I had to seek in-patient care!

THAT is a major celebration for one who deal with chemically based illness on a daily basis!

The turning point in my life was due to acquiring the knowledge that I needed to seek medical care, and learn how to modify my behavior.

 

My solution came in the form of answered prayer.. I cried out for help, and I received it! My miracles came in the form of psychiatrists, counselors and fellow consumers of mental health services.

It's a journey I'm thankful for, because it has changed my life, and given me the opportunity to pursue my dreams without the constant interference of roller coaster mood swings!

The roller coaster is still running... but now, it's most often more like the mini-coaster that's made for children!

I encourage you to cry out to Jesus for the help you need. You don't even have to pick up the phone; just cry out! Trust me, he's always listening for the sound of YOUR voice.

He will lead you to the people who can help you find the services you need to stabilize your life, and bring you your much needed change for good.

I believe that God has a good plan for all of us...with a little help and encouragement from others, it could finally be time for you to find yours!

I bid you peace and joy on your journey to healing!
Godspeed,
Connie ...aka Squid Angel

 

Giant Squid Angel

 

How Do You Feel About Bi-Polar Disorder? 

qlcoach

The Bi-Polar Disorders cause tremendous pain and suffering. I have been helping people cope with mental illness for more than 38 years. Thank for sharing this lense. Please consider how I am trying to help people with a variety of problems.
http://www.squidoo.com/defeatnegative
Sincerely: Gary Eby, author and therapist

Posted July 18, 2008

KarenC

I'm going to send this to a friend of mine. Maybe it'll help her.

Posted September 20, 2007

OutDoorDeb

Connie,
We so miss you here back home. You have done a great job with what we do. I know the oasis peer center has really helped me in my recovery and Wow I am back to work. There REALLY IS recovery from mental illness and you can get your life back.

Posted September 15, 2007

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gods_grace_notes

About gods_grace_notes

Hello World!

Have you ever endured a season in your life when you just couldn't seem to find yourself?  I certainly have! 

I found the answers I needed in God's Word...it's been an amazing journey....I was a basket case! Certifiable, actually!

But by the grace of God, I am alive and well, healed, mentally restored...Now I'm even writing my own story books...

If you've ever been in a world of turmoil, you know what I'm talking about!  God kept telling me that he had a really good plan for my life...it took me a while to figure out what that was...but, He was right! It's a really good plan!

He's got one for you too...have you found yours yet? If not, keep searching...if you're actively searching, you're on the right track!

"For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans to prosper and not to harm you, plans for hope and a future." Jeremiah 29:11

Thanks for stopping by! Create a lens...drop me an email...together we can change the world for good...In JESUS name!

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