Hi,

There were these kids playing in the park one day. Well, one of the kids messed up. And he yelled: “DO OVER!” And he got to take his turn again, just because he yelled that. In other words…He got a second chance to do it right. That’s what a “do over” is. Don’t you wish that we had do overs as adults these days? We sure could use them sometimes. Like when you mess up at work. Do over! Or when you say something you shouldn’t say. Do over! Or when you do get that speeding ticket that you wish you hadn’t gotten. Do over! Or like with bipolar disorder…

When you get into that inevitable fight with your loved one that you know you shouldn’t have let yourself get into. Do over!

As adults, we don’t usually get do overs. We just have to pay the consequences of our mistakes.

But there is a way to avoid wanting to have do overs when it comes to bipolar disorder. There’s something that I call the Post Episode Analysis. The Post Episode Analysis helps you to keep from making the same mistakes over and over again. So you wouldn’t need a do over. This is how it works: After your loved one’s bipolar episode, you sit down with them, and the two of you together analyze that bipolar episode. You ask yourselves things like: What did we do wrong? What did we do right? What warnings did we miss? What should we have done that we didn’t do? What did we do that we shouldn’t have done? Is there something we could have done earlier than we did? What could we have done differently? What would we do if we had a chance to do it all over again? And things like that.

This way you know how to avoid the mistakes you made for the next episode. And you won’t make them again. You’ll do things differently. Hopefully, you’ll do things better. Hopefully, you’ll even catch the episode before it happens. Because you should know what to look for.

You’ll have discovered what your loved one’s particular signs and triggers are. So this way you can be more vigilant in the future. A Post Episode Analysis can be a good predictor for the future, because it helps you to evaluate the past.

Well, I have to go!

Your Friend,

 

Dave

 

Hi,

I heard a quote the other day that I wanted to share with you: “Unless you change how you are, you’ll always have what you’ve got.” I really like that quote. I think it can easily be applied to bipolar disorder, too. Too many people with bipolar disorder and their supporters get to the point that they take their condition for granted. In other words, they stop being vigilant with the disorder. They get in a rut. Nothing’s bad, but nothing’s really good, either. Just a kind of “in between” state, where nothing changes.

Like another quote that I’ve heard: “If nothing changes, nothing changes.” Think about it. Whether you have bipolar disorder or are supporting a loved one with it, this can apply to you. But you don’t have to stay that way. As a matter of fact, staying that way can really go against you. You have to continually maintain stability and change what needs to be changed in order to do that. Even if what needs to be changed is yourself. Nobody can do that for you – you have to do it for yourself. Other people may notice what needs to be changed – they might even tell you what needs to be changed. But it’s up to you whether you take their advice. You are the one who, in the end, has to do the work involved in the change process.

There are some things you have control over, and other things you don’t. For example, you don’t have control over the fact that you or your loved one has bipolar disorder. Therefore, you can’t change it. But you can change how you react to it. First of all, you need to change the way you think about the disorder in relation to yourself: Instead of saying, “I am bipolar,” try saying, “I have bipolar.” There is a big difference. In the first case, you’re identifying with the disorder, and it can have control over you instead of the other way around, because you believe it is what you ARE. In the second case, you are acknowledging that you have this disorder, but you are in control of it instead of it being in control over you, because you believe it is what you HAVE (and not who you are). The difference is knowing who you are outside the disorder, and it can make a big difference in how you think about yourself.

You know how I like expressions that apply to bipolar disorder. Here’s another one that applies to what I’m talking about: “We can have more than we’ve got because we can become more than we are.” Can you see how that applies to bipolar disorder? It’s all in how you think about yourself. You don’t have to let the bipolar disorder dictate who you are. You can be/become more than what the disorder makes you. In other words…You can rise above it.

Well, I have to go!

Your Friend,

 

Dave

 

 

Hi,

What’s new? Hope you are doing well.

To read this week’s news visit:
http://www.bipolarcentral.com/bipolarnews610/

Lark Voorhies, Bipolar Disorder: ‘Saved By The Bell’ Actress Makes Bizarre …
DO> Is this actress really suffering from bipolar? You judge.

Author SJ Hart to speak about bipolar disorder at Springfield College …
DO> This article talks about Hart, her disorder, her family, and her book.

Bipolar Disorder Myths and Realities
DO> This expert answers some very important questions about bipolar disorder you might want to know.

Study testing aspirin as bipolar disorder treatment
DO> Surprising new possible treatment for bipolar disorder.

Unclear if Representative Jesse Jackson Jr. will return to Congress: friend
DO> More news on Rep. Jackson.

Autism may be linked to schizophrenia
DO> Autism may be linked to bipolar, too, according to this article.

Pauley works to destigmatize mental illness
DO> Pauley talks about her bipolar as an advocate for mental illness.

For these stories and more, please visit:
http://www.bipolarcentral.com/bipolarnews610/

Check out all my resources, programs and information for all aspects of bipolar disorder by visiting:
http://www.bipolarcentralcatalog.com

Your Friend,

 

Dave