Hi,

Ok, today I’m going to play magician for you, and teach you three MAGIC WORDS when it comes to bipolar disorder! Only kidding! Naw, only kidding about the “magic” part. Because you and I both know that there is nothing magic about bipolar disorder. No magic pill to cure it.

No magic wand to make it go away. No magic words to make your loved one better.

But there are THREE words that can help you and your loved one to manage their bipolar disorder better:

1. CONSISTENCY

2. PERSISTENCE

3. BALANCE

CONSISTENCY: Just like the story of the tortoise and the hare, and the lesson that you learned about “slow and steady wins the race,” you must then follow it with consistency. In the thesaurus, consistency has other synonyms for it, like: symmetry, clearness, uniformity, agreement, connection, tenacity, and conformity. Your loved one MUST be consistent in their routine and treatment program in order to become stable with bipolar disorder.

If your loved one has bipolar disorder, being consistent in their routine, with their sleep schedule, healthy diet and exercise, gives them a greater chance of stability with their disorder. They also need to be consistent with their medication and with their treatment. These things are CRUCIAL for your loved one to achieve stability. Remember the “slow and steady wins the race” idea.

Consistency will eventually pay off for your loved one in the long run. Supporters have to be consistent as well, in their love, support and understanding, as their loved one becomes more consistent.

PERSISTENCE: If someone is consistent, it is much easier for them to follow that with persistence. Persistence is when you set your goals and you go after those goals, not letting anything stand in your way. Someone famous said, “If you believe it, you can achieve it.” But I’m telling you, you cannot achieve it by sitting at home just thinking about it. Productivity is SO important for someone with bipolar disorder. Without it, it is too easy to become idle, lazy, bored, and…Depressed. Which can very easily trigger someone into a bipolar depressive episode.

Setting goals and achieving them (being productive) is one of the best ways not only to avoid a bipolar episode, but also to be productive. Being productive leads to a better lifestyle, and eventually to stability. IF you are PERSISTENT enough to get there!

BALANCE: You also must maintain a balance physically, mentally, emotionally, and spiritually.

It’s like a table with four legs. If one leg is out of balance, the other 3 might be able to keep you balanced, but not by much (depending on how strong the other 3 are). But if 2 are out of balance, your life will definitely be out of balance. And when someone with bipolar disorder is out of balance, they will go into an episode. So balance is an absolute necessity in your loved one’s life. You can be a big help here. The more balanced you are, first of all, the easier it will be for you to handle your loved one’s “bipolar world.” Second of all, you will be a good example to your loved one of what it’s like when someone has balance in their life, and want it for themselves.

So when you have CONSISTENCY, PERSISTENCE, and BALANCE all working together, your loved one has a VERY good chance for stability!

Well, I have to go!

Your Friend,

Dave