Hi,

How’s it going?

Actually I am in the process of lowering by body fat to under 6%. My goal is to get there by October 22, 2009.

I am not sure if I told you this, but I used to weigh 282 pounds at my peak when I was playing football.

Well, after football, I decided that it was not wise to carry that much weight, so I wanted to drop down to about 220 pounds.

I did it. I lost that 60 pounds.

And I have kept off that 60 pounds for over 10 years now. Which, according to statistics, is incredible.

See, for a lot of people, they lose the weight, but then they gain it back. But I didn’t.

I don’t say that to brag, but only to qualify what I am about to say.

In order for me to do this, I had to create a system and to follow it.

That’s why I am always telling people with bipolar disorder and their supporters that you have to have systems in place if you’re going to get better.

SUPPORTING AN ADULT WITH BIPOLAR DISORDER?

Visit:

http://www.bipolarsupporter.com/report11

SUPPORTING A CHILD/TEEN WITH BIPOLAR DISORDER?

Visit:

http://www.bipolarparenting.com

HAVE BIPOLAR DISORDER?

Visit:

http://www.survivebipolar.net

Well, I faced ups and downs, I’m just being honest with you.

No system is perfect, because no person is perfect.

Like, you could be on the perfect diet, right?

And you could follow it every day for weeks to a T.

But then one day you would just have to have that piece of chocolate, right?

You would just have that craving so bad!

So it would be tough to keep up being perfect all the time.

But as long as the main system is in place, it will be ok.

Have you ever played that game where you stack up the pieces of wood?

Well, the idea is that each person one at a time takes out one piece, until one of the people makes the stack fall.

The point I’m trying to make is that they could take out just a few pieces of wood and it would be ok.

But there would come a point where the whole pile would come crashing down.

So you need a good system.

One that will stand up to one or two pieces being ok to be taken out without the whole thing coming crashing down.

So let’s look first at being a supporter:

You have to have a system too.

You are dealing with bipolar disorder just as much as your loved one is.

Your system might be that you have to work to support the family financially, and that you handle the family finances.

Another part of your system is to watch your loved one’s patterns, triggers, signs and symptoms so you can tell in advance if they are going into a bipolar episode.

But you can’t be a babysitter all the time, so that’s ok. You just do the best you can.

Another part of your system is to take action of you do see that they are in a bipolar episode.

Do you see how you have to have a system? Of course, these are only a few parts that should be included in your system.

Now, for the person with bipolar disorder:

Your system, first of all, MUST include taking medication, as prescribed, and on a daily basis. This is crucial to attaining and maintaining your stability.

Other parts of your system would include proper rest, a good sleep schedule, exercise, and a healthy diet.

You also HAVE to see medical and mental health professionals – a doctor, psychiatrist, and therapist (or counselor, social worker, clergy person, etc.) for your medication and to deal with issues surrounding your bipolar disorder and your life because of it.

Having a good strong support system with several people in it would also help, but is like that wood piece game I was talking about. If you only have you and your primary supporter, at least you have that.

Just like your supporter, you need to be watching your own patterns, triggers, and signs and symptoms for an oncoming bipolar episode, and have a system of what to do if you do go into one.

Of course, these are only some of the things that should be part of your system.

What about you?

What systems do you have in place?

How do they work for you?