Hi, how are you today? I hope this is a good day for you.

I saw in the news that many people are criticizing President of The United States, Barack Obama, saying he is “trying to boil the ocean.” (What in the world does that mean? LOL)

Well that means that they say he is trying to do too much too fast. (Here’s the link:

http://www.netlingo.com/word/boil-the-ocean.php

Don’t try to boil the ocean. How does this apply to bipolar?

Well, if you have bipolar disorder, you may have to focus solely on your treatment and a few other things. If you are a supporter, you may have to drop some things that you normally do, maybe charity work, some fun things, etc., in order to help your loved one. You can’t do it all.

I personally had to take off from work for almost a year. I had to stop hanging out with my friends. I had to cut back on many things. There just wasn’t enough time.

Some try to keep up everything and burn out and almost have breakdowns. You don’t want to suffer supporter burn-out. In order to avoid it, you have to set priorities.

Even more important than taking care of your loved one is taking care of yourself. Make sure that the stress of taking care of a loved one with bipolar disorder is not getting to you. If it is, you need to do something to de-stress. You may need a break. Not only are you entitled to one,

it may be absolutely necessary for you to take one.

Try to find someone else in your loved one’s support system who can “spell” you for a time, even

if all you do is take a drive in the country or something like that. You need to keep balance in your life, just as your loved one does. You need to stay stable as well. That means being balanced physically, mentally, emotionally, and spiritually. And you have to keep in mind that you can’t do everything by yourself.

Some supporters even have their own support group (for supporters of a family member or loved one who has bipolar disorder), and they find that that helps. Others go to their own therapist.

The point is that you do what you need to do to keep yourself balanced.

Well, I have to go!

Your Friend,

Dave