Hi,

You know I like to hike, right? It’s where I do some of my best thinking. And, usually, that’s about bipolar disorder, of course. But I was hiking one day and thinking about the staggering numbers of people who have the disorder, are supporting someone who does, or know of someone who has it. And the numbers are staggering. Then I was thinking about the difference between people when it comes to bipolar disorder. I hear from a lot of people in response to my daily emails, courses/systems, website, etc. And it’s almost like they’re divided in half. Half the people are really struggling with it, and the other half seem to have mastered it.

Well, maybe mastered it is the wrong way to put it – but they control and manage the disorder instead of it controlling or managing them. These are the people I like to hear from, because they have that “fighting attitude.” And that’s what you have to have when it comes to bipolar disorder – a FIGHTING ATTITUDE.

There are those people who take the diagnosis lying down, just like in a boxing match where you throw in the towel and give up. They don’t believe that stability is a possibility for them. Those people don’t do the right things, so they don’t get stable. But have you ever known someone who no matter what happens to them, they fight back? Like cancer survivors. I think it’s all in having a “fighting attitude.” They don’t take it laying down – they fight back! And many of them do win.

Even a doctor will tell you that your attitude towards your illness (whatever it is) can be crucial to your recovery. Well, that’s as true for bipolar disorder as it is for cancer. You’ve got to come out of your corner fighting. That’s the way to control it.

Of course, just like any fight, you have to be prepared. You have to have strategies. You have to have plans in place. And you have to have these things in advance, just like an army does in a war. Like, you need to sit down with your loved one and decide what to do in case they need to go in the hospital.

Strategies would include:

• A better lifestyle

• Eating a healthy diet

• Exercising

• Keeping a good sleep schedule

• Staying productive

• Attending a support group

• Having a strong support system

• Adhering to all treatment

Those who look at battling bipolar disorder as just that – a battle – and are willing to do what it takes to win, do find success. It is possible to recover from the disorder. I know, because I’ve gotten so many success stories. But all success stories have one thing in common: They did whatever they had to do to gain stability, including those things I just listed. They had a “fighting attitude.” That’s what your loved one will need to have, too, to gain stability with their bipolar disorder. They need to do all the basic things you need to do to become stable…But it’s just as important for them to have that fighting attitude.

Well, I have to go!

Your Friend,

Dave