Hi,
I hope you’re doing ok today.
Well, it’s back to school time.
You can tell, because every kind of store is having some kind of “Back to School Sale.”
You can also tell, because especially now the stores are more crowded, with parents
getting their children everything they need for the new school year.
College students are hitting the stores as well, buying what they need for their dorm rooms.
So all this back-to-school stuff got me thinking.
I was thinking about teachers.
About how they have to write lesson plans for their classes.
They have to know in advance what they are going to be teaching that week, that day… and some even have to make a monthly plan.
For one thing, it holds them accountable.
They can’t just teach anything they want to.
For another thing, if they have to be absent one day, their substitute teacher will have a Plan of Action to follow.
That’s what I wanted to talk to you about today.
Having a Plan of Action.
You may have already experienced a bipolar episode that has snuck up on you, and without any preparation, everything is all of a sudden upside down.
Things can get out of control very easily and very quickly.
You can get very confused, and not sure about what to do.
You’re in a battle without any preparation.
Like a substitute teacher “thrown to the wolves” without a lesson plan.
In my courses/systems, I always talk about planning for things in advance – like bipolar episodes.
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http://www.bipolarparenting.com
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Did you know that some people already have their burial plots bought and paid for?
They have taken their life’s Plan of Action and extended it that far out.
Some people disagree with this, but I consider it good planning in advance.
Some young people already know where they’re going to go to college and what career they will go into.
That’s also good planning for the future.
People that don’t have a Plan of Action usually struggle when something unexpected happens.
Especially people who are dealing with bipolar disorder.
For example, what are you going to do if your loved one doesn’t want to take their medication any more?
That’s one of the biggest problems that other supporters have written about or asked me about.
You need to have a Plan of Action.
What are you going to do if your loved one needs to be hospitalized?
You need to have a Plan of Action for that as well.
And you especially need a Plan of Action for when your loved one goes into an episode.
You need to consider things like what you’re going to do about finances.
Otherwise, in a manic episode, your loved one could easily devastate your finances.
With a Plan of Action, you can protect your finances.
There are other things, too –
Like your loved one’s medical care.
What are you going to do if they refuse to go for treatment?
You need to have a Plan of Action for that.
A Plan of Action doesn’t have to be something really hard or extensive.
(In fact, the simpler it is, the easier it will be to implement when you need to use it.)
But say, in the example of finances that I was talking about before.
While your loved one is NOT in an episode, you can both decide what to do if they do go into an episode. Will they have access to money? Or how will you be able to control their excessive spending during a manic episode?
These are just some questions to consider.
The stronger and more complete your Plan of Action is, the better prepared you will be when you need it.
Do you have a Plan of Action?
If you don’t, don’t delay and do it right away so you’ll be ready.
Post responses below
Hi I know what it’s like: in the example of finances; I have re-trained my mind that I don’t have any money especially during an episode; when I am not, I still don’t but I do ask my wife if we have any for anything we/ I need or want so I can use my bank card.
Having no 24/7 Supporter, I am at the mercy of the local Community Mental Health Clinic as to whether I should be hospitalized or not. I don’t have a Plan of Action, like I did when I lived in my apartment house and was hospitalized for pancreatitis for 3 weeks. A neighbor took care of the house, and saw to it that my bills, at least, were paid.
Becoming “poverty-striken” this year, I am more aware of where each DOLLAR goes; this is sooo unlike me. I am a compulsive, impulsive consumer, who USED to buy anything that caught my fancy. NOW, I tell myself there is NO extra money to be spent; all of it has to go for bills. I’m behind one month on several credit card bills. I hope to catch up next month when my new roomie pays her rent. There were some unexpected expenditures this month that have put me behind.
I did, however, spend $100 to get my hair cut and colored; that is what my stylist charges. I have known her for 11 years, and she knows my hair. I also spent $60 on make-up that I had completely run out of. There are just some times you HAVE to pamper yourself – but I KNOW I overdid it. Things will be different next month…
BIG HUGS to all bipolar survivors and those who love us. May God bless you real good. I pray for my country.
This is the first time I have written. My late husband was a teacher and my supporter. This blog of David Oliver’s hit a nerve with me. After my husband retired, we moved from the Midwest to Florida for my health and his passion-windsurfing. A year after we moved he hit a rip tide that pulled his board, sail, with him attached under and he did not survive. My husband has been gone 4-years now. It took me a little over 3-years to get through my mourning and one hospitalization. Our 1st anniversary after his death, I had a “break down” and with God’s help, I checked myself into a psychiatric hospital. They had a very good out-patient program and taught me many survival skills. Now I have “survived” 3-years after that time, improving all the while. Now, I am ready to do more than “survive.”
In May, my daughter had my first grandchild. She flew me to be with her. The whole experience was life altering for me. I want to move back home and be an active grandmother.
I know I need a plan. I just don’t know where to start? Over the past 4-years I have barely done the minimal housework and have buried myself in stuff. I have a pathway through the house that I can barely get through. I couldn’t afford the storage unit after my husband died, so all those crates and stuff are in my double-wide also. There is so much stuff, I feel defeated before I get started and end up doing nothing. I want to face this giant and think it is the first step, but I don’t know how? Would you help me please?
To PAMELA: I, too, have trouble wih “clutter.” My spare room – which I used as a computer room and storage for boxes from my move – was unmanageable. There was NO path to the closets, though they, too, were full. When I made up my mind to rent out the room, I started a HUMONGOUS project. With the help of a male friend, it took us 3 months to clear it out, but that left the living room with boxes. My therapist calls me a “hoarder,” so I guess that’s what I am. My bedroom is full – top to bottom, left to right, and my 2 closets are brimming!! I wish I had some advice to give you on how to “un-clutter” your living environment, but like my friend told me – “if you’re comfortable, that’s all that matters.” The rest of the condo is fine; I just CAN’T find the motivation to clear out my bedroom.
Pamela, maybe you could start by just trying to go through 2 boxes or piles a day, just move the 2 things you are going to work on in another room and shut the door to the clutter. This should make it less overwhelming and after a month you will have gone through 60 boxes or piles and you will be that much futher into your new live with you grandchild.If the your whole place is too much clutter take your work outside and just enjoy the weather while you sift through it. Good Luck