Hi,

I heard a story the other day, about an old man. No matter what was said to this old man, he always responded with: “There’s nothing new under the sun.” Someone said to him: “Look at that mountain, isn’t it huge? Have you ever seen a mountain that huge before?” And he said:

“There’s nothing new under the sun.” Another person said: “Look at that ocean, isn’t it vast? Have you ever seen a body of water that vast before?” And he said: “There’s nothing new under the sun.” A woman said to him: “Look at my newborn baby. Have you ever seen anything more beautiful than a newborn baby?” And the old man replied: “There’s nothing new under the sun.”

The old man never went anywhere new, never met anyone new, never tried anything new, because he always believed “There’s nothing new under the sun.” He died alone, an empty, lonely old man.

The point of this story is that you can’t have this attitude when you’re dealing with a loved one with bipolar disorder. Like I’m always saying, there are many things you can do to help your loved one with bipolar disorder. And you just can’t give up, believing “There’s nothing new under the sun.” To me that just signifies a defeatist attitude. And you need to have a more positive attitude. You have to believe that your loved one is going to get better, and never give up on that. No matter how bad things seem sometimes. And I know from my own experience…

Sometimes things can seem pretty darn bad. But you just can’t give up.

There is always something new. There is always something you haven’t tried. There is always something to be learned. There is always new research being done. There is always someone you haven’t talked to. There is always another session of therapy for your loved one to go to, and maybe this will be the one that will “unlock” them. There is always another medication for them to try. And always…Always there is another day to come. Another day of hope. Another day where you can start over again. Another day where you can try something new. Another day where things might change. Another day where this might be the day that your loved one comes out of their bipolar episode.

This might be that day! This might be the very day where everything changes for you and your loved one! This might be the very day when that new thing you’ve been trying to help your loved one actually starts working! This might be the very day when their new medication starts kicking in! This might be the very day when their mood swings stop being so extreme! This might be the very day when their behavior stops being so erratic!

You can NEVER give up hope. For this might be that very day.

Well, I have to go!

Your Friend,

Dave