Hi, how’s it going? Hope you are doing well.

I just met a woman who was very embarrassed about where she lived. You see, she lived in a shelter for battered women. But it took her a long time to admit to it in our conversation. I’m not entirely sure why she was embarrassed.

See, she’s in a better place then she was in before. At least where she’s at, she’s safe. That’s better than it was before. So at least she’s moving up. It may take some time and effort to get to the next step upwards, but that’s part of life. At least she’s taken the first step that she needed to take. And at least she’s making an effort that she never felt strong enough to make before.

I’ve met a lot of people who have bipolar disorder who were embarrassed about their treatment. Some of them were embarrassed about having to take their medications, or about being hospitalized during a crisis. Others are embarrassed about having to go to therapy, or about just having the disorder to begin with.

But there’s nothing to be embarrassed about. Especially when it comes to treatment. It should be something that makes a person proud. “I’ve got a problem that I can’t get rid of, but at least I’m getting the help I need to make it manageable.” If everyone looked at it like that, then there would be no need to be embarrassed.

Now, of course, there is stigma to take into consideration. Even if people with bipolar disorder can learn to be proud of their treatments, that doesn’t necessarily mean that others will understand. But with education, hopefully that will get better with time.

Here’s an analogy for you: Have you ever heard of rivers that have stepping stones going across them. These rivers are usually smaller rivers, but they would still be unmanageable to get across without these stones, or without a bridge of any kind.

But much of the time, because they are in the places that they are in, there are no bridges available to make. So in order to get across, you use these stepping stones. Sometimes this can still be hard, and maybe even dangerous. If the rocks are unstable, you could tip over and fall into the river. But if you take it slow, and only focus on the next stepping stone that’s ahead of you, then you can make it across safely.

Now, what does this analogy mean to people who have bipolar disorder? It means that as long as we are moving up in life, and focusing on one step at a time, that there is nothing wrong with where we are at.

After all, there are reasons for everything. Some people believe that there is a spiritual reason for everything. But even if you don’t think that, maybe you can appreciate this concept: We can MAKE a reason for everything. We can choose to learn from every situation that we find ourselves in, and to use what we’ve learned to move forward in life. We might even be able to help others with what we learned. That’s what I try to do.

It’s all about figuring out what the next step is, and moving forward. As long as we are constantly moving forward, then there is no reason to be embarrassed about doing the best that we can.

What are your thoughts on that?

Well, I have to go!

Your Friend,

Dave