Hi, how’s your day going? I hope it is a good one.

My grandmother always used to tell me these old phrases that never made sense to me when I was younger. Now, looking back, they are starting to make more sense.

“A watched pot never boils” means you should have patience. “Don’t look a gift horse in the mouth” tells you to appreciate the gifts that are given to you. “Don’t count your chickens before they hatch” helps you to not rely on things that aren’t certain yet.

Do you have someone like my grandmother who is always quoting old sayings to you? These quotes can be a helpful source of good advice when followed.

I was always told to “Count my blessings.” This can be a good thing, especially when dealing with an illness that often makes you think of the negative side of things.

When your loved one makes any kind of progress it can be a great time to count your blessings. This is especially true when they manage to gain stability for a period of time.

One thing you may want to do is celebrate the progress made, and encourage your loved one to keep up the good work. There are many ways you can do this, but you may want to make sure that you don’t celebrate in a way that sets off one of their triggers.

Once they have gained stability for a period of time, they may be able to start participating in certain activities that were difficult before, such as work. Remember that they still need encouragement and support, even after they have been stable for some time. The support will help them to maintain their stability better then they would have been able to on their own.

But there’s another important phrase to remember: “Don’t place all your eggs in one basket.”

Many times a person with bipolar disorder will have a relapse of symptoms, even after they have been stable for some time. It is great when they are able to stabilize their life out for some time and get to the point that they can do things they weren’t able to before. It is important, however, to remember that it may not last forever.

Having a backup plan may or may not be appropriate, but it is always a good thing to remember that good things don’t always last as long as we would like. It is also important to remember that if they do relapse, they are still able to gain back stability again with the proper treatment and support.

There are always second chances. And third … and fourth … You get the idea.

When your loved one has gained stability for any amount of time, it is crucial to help them by watching for signs of a relapse or a return of symptoms. Now of course I’m not talking about constant worry. That would be unnecessary, and would just interfere with your own life. But at least to a certain extent, it is important to keep track of whether your loved one is having symptoms.

Encourage them to continue their treatment plan, even if it doesn’t seem like they need it anymore. You may need to explain that the reason it seems they don’t need it anymore is because of how well it is working.

Any time they can experience without symptoms is a blessing, and is something to celebrate. Remember though: don’t put all your eggs in one basket. If the basket should fail, you don’t want all the eggs, or should I say progress, to be lost in the process.

What do you think can be done for your loved one to make sure they have something to fall back on in case they start having symptoms again? What can you do to prepare for that now?

Well, I have to go!

Your Friend,

Dave