Bipolar Supporter Blog

Hi,

I hope you’re doing well today.

I had trouble sleep so I figured that I would write the daily email super early. It’s 3:15am now.

Christmas is coming soon, and I wanted to tell you this story about a couple I know:

I know of a couple who let bipolar disorder actually steal their Christmas last year!

It’s true!

They are married, and both of them have bipolar disorder.

And the holidays were so overwhelming to them, the shopping, the crowded roads and stores, the “crazy” people…

(You know how everyone gets a little “crazy” around Christmas time)

Well, they were so overwhelmed that it made them anxious and stressful…

Which made them both very depressed.

So they just cancelled Christmas!

They didn’t put up a Christmas tree.

They didn’t put up any Christmas decorations, no stockings, no carols sung by a fire, no candles, no lights up outside, no anything.

And no presents.

They didn’t even go to the traditional Christmas dinner at their family’s house.

They just sat home and watched TV on Christmas.

Like it was just another day.

They were so depressed that they both almost went into bipolar depressive episodes!

They told me it was one of the most miserable times of their lives.

In fact, they know I write these emails, and they wanted me to warn you:

DON’T LET BIPOLAR DISORDER STEAL YOUR CHRISTMAS

Like it stole theirs last year.

In my courses/systems I talk about how certain situations can be more stressful than others:

SUPPORTING AN ADULT WITH BIPOLAR DISORDER?
Visit:
http://www.bipolarsupporter.com/report11

SUPPORTING A CHILD/TEEN WITH BIPOLAR DISORDER?
Visit:
http://www.bipolarparenting.com

HAVE BIPOLAR DISORDER?
Visit:
http://www.survivebipolar.net

But this year, for this couple, you wouldn’t believe the difference!

They told me that they weren’t going to ever let bipolar disorder steal their Christmas ever again.

This year, Christmas is back, with ALL the trimmings!

They said their house looks like a Christmas wonderland, even though it’s only for the two of them (their kids are all grown).

And they made plans for the “overwhelming” part of Christmas in advance this year – they did their Christmas shopping early, sent money instead of presents to their children and nieces and nephews, and bought presents for only each other!

As far as the stress of visiting relatives for Christmas dinner, they are ready for it.

They have decided to only stay for as short a time as possible, and everyone else will have to understand.

They are not going to be pressured into being a part of all the festivities just because everyone else expects them to – not if it means that it affects their bipolar disorder.

What about you?

Has this happened to you?

You’re not going to let your bipolar disorder steal your Christmas this year, are you?

I remember many a Christmas was stolen through the years for me. You have to work hard to make sure this doesn’t happen. Start TODAY.

I actually think I am going to try to go back to sleep. But, before I go, I wanted to ask if you have any stories of BP stealing your Christmas OR you making sure it didn’t.

FIND OUT WHAT PEOPLE ARE SAYING ABOUT ME
Visit: http://www.bipolarcentral.com/testimonials

David Oliver is the author of the shocking guide “Bipolar Disorder—The REAL Silent Killer.” Click Here to get FREE Information sent via email on how and why bipolar disorder kills.

Hi,

How’s your day going?

Hey, I have to get going really quick because I have to take all the ice and snow off my car.

Okay so there are things in life that you absolutely HAVE to do, you know that, right?

Where you have no choice in the matter.

Like…

You HAVE to breathe.

You HAVE to wake up.

You HAVE to sleep.

You HAVE to eat food.

You HAVE to drink water.

These are just basic things you absolutely HAVE to do to survive.

No choice. Or else you’ll die.

But if you have bipolar disorder, there are other things you do have a choice over…

But if you don’t do them you may die as well.

Like…

You HAVE to take your medications!

Now, that’s an absolute MUST for someone with bipolar disorder.

People who don’t take their medications run a 20% risk of dying.

It’s your choice, but if you want to have a healthy life…

If you want to get better…

If you want to defeat bipolar disorder…

If you want to be stable and successful…

Then you HAVE to take your medication.

You HAVE to see your doctor or psychiatrist… or else you WON’T have that medication.

You HAVE to get the right amount of sleep each night, or you WILL go into a manic episode. In my courses/systems, I talk about other things you SHOULD do:

SUPPORTING AN ADULT WITH BIPOLAR DISORDER?
Visit:
http://www.bipolarsupporter.com/report11

SUPPORTING A CHILD/TEEN WITH BIPOLAR DISORDER?
Visit:
http://www.bipolarparenting.com

HAVE BIPOLAR DISORDER?
Visit:
http://www.survivebipolar.net

Now, you don’t HAVE to do these things, but if you want to be stable, you really SHOULD do them:

You SHOULD see a therapist on a regular basis.

You SHOULD eat a healthy diet.

You SHOULD exercise.

You SHOULD be productive.

You SHOULD have a strong support system.

You SHOULD do things that you enjoy.

You SHOULD communicate with your supporter.

You SHOULD have a social life.

You SHOULD attend a support group. Now, you don’t HAVE to do these things, but they will help you manage your bipolar disorder a whole lot better if you do them.

Does this make sense?

Like right now, I should go and take the snow off my car.

Seriously, do you know what I mean by this message today?

FIND OUT WHAT PEOPLE ARE SAYING ABOUT ME
Visit: http://www.bipolarcentral.com/testimonials

David Oliver is the author of the shocking guide “Bipolar Disorder—The REAL Silent Killer.” Click Here to get FREE Information sent via email on how and why bipolar disorder kills.

Hi,

Hope you’re doing ok.

I want to talk to you today about a concept called looking for the ledge.

The ledge is a small thing that you use as a stepping stone towards something else.

With bipolar disorder, it would be a small thing that you use as a stepping stone toward your progress.

I got the concept from when I was hiking one day (I like to hike – it helps me keep my stress levels lower, and one of the things I do for exercise).

Anyway, I was thinking about if you were rock climbing and you were going up a mountain, you would need a ledge to climb up the mountain.

The ledge wouldn’t be huge, but it would be small, because it would have to get you from one level to the next.

It’s the same with bipolar disorder.

You or your loved one’s ledge has to be a small step to success that you can build on to an even greater success in order to be effective.

Here’s what I mean.

Your loved one goes into therapy.

They can’t expect to go to one session and be “cured” overnight. But each session is a ledge to the next session, so they go to regular sessions, to build on their success.

And you can go to your own therapy and do it the same way (not to be “cured,” of course, but to learn skills how to deal with your loved one’s bipolar disorder and your own life problems).

In my courses/systems, I do talk about supporters going into therapy for themselves as part of taking care of themselves, because if you don’t take care of yourself, how are you going to take care of your loved one?

SUPPORTING AN ADULT WITH BIPOLAR DISORDER?
Visit:
http://www.bipolarsupporter.com/report11

SUPPORTING A CHILD/TEEN WITH BIPOLAR DISORDER?
Visit:
http://www.bipolarparenting.com

HAVE BIPOLAR DISORDER?
Visit:
http://www.survivebipolar.net
Ok, so back to the ledge.

You have to build on the ledge to get bigger successes.

And bigger successes lead to more progress with bipolar disorder.

Another example is exercise. Both for you and your loved one.

You don’t start an exercise program of walking by walking 10 miles a day the first day.

You might start by walking maybe a mile, or even ½ a mile.

Then you would, ledge by ledge (small success by small success), build up to your 10 mile goal.

Another example is medication, and this is an important one.

There is no one magic pill that will give your loved one instant stability.

Usually, several medications have to be tried and tweaked, with different dosages, until the right ones, in different combinations, are found to be right for YOUR loved one (everyone is different).

So it’s not an instant success.

You have to go ledge by ledge, success by success, until you have success – until you reach stability.

And let’s talk about YOU –

You didn’t become the supporter that you are overnight, did you?

It took some trial and error, a little bit of ledge climbing, didn’t it?

But by ledge climbing, one success at a time, you grew into the successful supporter that you are today.

So do you see what I’m getting at with this ledge concept?

Success doesn’t come overnight with bipolar disorder.

Whether you have the disorder or you’re a supporter of a loved one with the disorder, you still have to apply the ledge concept to reach success.

What do you think?

Do you agree with the ledge concept?
FIND OUT WHAT PEOPLE ARE SAYING ABOUT ME
Visit: http://www.bipolarcentral.com/testimonials

David Oliver is the author of the shocking guide “Bipolar Disorder—The REAL Silent Killer.” Click Here to get FREE Information sent via email on how and why bipolar disorder kills.

Hi,

I hope you’re having a good day.

Hey, everyone was asking me about my Goddaughter’s birthday and how old she is.

She is 1. We had a lot of fun yesterday. I bought her a little people animal farm type of toy.

Anyway, I had the worst day of eating in seriously years. I feel terrible. I had all carbs for 50% of the day. No protein. I had so much cake it’s a joke. I feel TERRIBLE today.

So I am going to the gym TWICE today : )

Two cardio sessions.

Anyway, thanks for asking if you did.

Okay, I got a call from someone that I know who is dealing with bipolar disorder late last night.

Her husband has bipolar disorder and she was afraid. She said he had “gone off the deep end.”

She said he stopped taking his medication and was yelling and screaming at her loudly. I told her to follow my course and contact the doctor on his emergency line.

She said, “I never thought my husband could be like your mom.”

I was kind of annoyed by that statement.

First I want to say something. Soooooooo many people say to me, “I am not like your mom.”

Or they say, “My loved one is not like your mom.”

Listen, my mom was never that bad most of my life. I mean, she was bad sometimes but not that bad before the last major episode.

With bipolar disorder, without a system it can get worse.

The person who never did anything wrong can sometimes turn violent. They are not in their right mind.

Look at this:

Hello David,

Hi my name is Michael, my wife (name omitted) has been speaking to you for a couple years now. I have a question for you, when my son goes crazy and I have to restrain him from hurting others or himself, He will say just kill me and get it over with it. Have you ever had to deal with that, if so how do you respond, I know my self I go from complete anger to complete sympathy, without him knowing. What would you do in that situation, how do I deal with that statement?

Thanks Mike
————————————————————

First let me say that I am NOT a doctor, therapist, lawyer, financial advisor, law enforcement official, etc.

I am NOT offering any medical, legal, financial or professional advice. But I will tell you this, because it is a fact:

Your loved one CAN become violent, even if they have never been violent before.

Especially if they go off their medication, because, as I said, they are not in their right mind.

You know Michele, who works for me.

Well, her sister had bipolar disorder, went off her medication, threw herself through a plate glass door, called the police and claimed spousal abuse and had her husband arrested!

Another day she told her husband that she had hidden a box cutter in the house and that he better not go to sleep that night, because she was going to slit his throat if he did!

I know this sounds horrible, but it’s true.

Your loved one CAN turn violent, even if they’ve never been violent before.

I said in the beginning that without a system it can get worse. In my courses/systems below, I talk about how you have to have a system:

SUPPORTING AN ADULT WITH BIPOLAR DISORDER?
Visit:
http://www.bipolarsupporter.com/report11

SUPPORTING A CHILD/TEEN WITH BIPOLAR DISORDER?
Visit:
http://www.bipolarparenting.com

HAVE BIPOLAR DISORDER?
Visit:
http://www.survivebipolar.net

What you do is, between episodes, when your loved one is calm and receptive to good communication, the two of you sit down and work out what you would do if your loved one did become violent. You have to have a system in place, just in case.

I know one couple who did this.

Here’s what they worked out.

They decided that if he goes into an episode and becomes violent, that the first thing she should do is call 911 and the police, so he doesn’t hurt her.

As long as she calls right away, chances are he won’t hurt her, so she can stay to tell the police that he has bipolar disorder, so they won’t take him to jail, they’ll just restrain him and take him to the hospital.

During that time, she is to call her husband’s psychiatrist, to let him know what’s happening, so he can be in touch with the hospital, in case they need his help with medications, etc., or his advice on where to send her husband (what facility, etc.).

Then she is to take all his medications and follow them to the hospital.

See? They have a very comprehensive system that they worked out in advance, when her husband was not in an episode that protects both of them should he become violent.

Mostly, they acknowledged the fact that, even though they didn’t want to think about that fact, and didn’t want to think that it might happen, they still worked out a system in case it should.

Another point, too. They also have a signed Medical Release and Power of Attorney signed by him (when he was not in an episode) that she has a copy of that she would take with her to the hospital in case she would need to admit him. This is a very important point, because during an episode, especially when your loved one is violent, you will NOT be able to get his/her signature on one of these forms, and you will be restricted from having access to them and/or their records and/or their care.

There also might be personal things you might need to do, like have access to your bank accounts, that a Power of Attorney will enable you to do.

I know it’s probably hard to believe right now that our loved one could turn violent, but with bipolar disorder it’s always a possibility.

Just make sure you have a system in place.

Do you agree with this or think I am out of my mind. Do you believe ANYONE with bipolar disorder can turn violent who is not with the right treatment plan?

FIND OUT WHAT PEOPLE ARE SAYING ABOUT ME
Visit: http://www.bipolarcentral.com/testimonials

David Oliver is the author of the shocking guide “Bipolar Disorder—The REAL Silent Killer.” Click Here to get FREE Information sent via email on how and why bipolar disorder kills.

Hi,

Hope you’re doing well.

I have to get going because today is my Goddaughter’s birthday so her mom and dad are having a party. So I have to get stuff done before then.

Anyway, this is for both people with bipolar disorder and their supporters.

Because it’s not just those who have the disorder who struggle with mood problems, their supporters do, too. Maybe not to the same degree, but they do – bad moods, good moods, happy one minute, sad the next, maybe even suffer from depression themselves.

But the point I want to make is, you can’t be fooled by your moods.

When you have a biologically based disorder like bipolar disorder, sometimes you have no control over your moods – they are simply controlled by the chemical imbalance in your brain.

For supporters, even though you don’t have a biologically based disorder, you can still get depressed from time to time, can’t you?

But the point is for you, don’t be fooled by this depression, otherwise you might think you’re “catching” your loved one’s bipolar disorder, and you just can’t catch bipolar disorder like you can catch the flu.

So don’t be fooled by your moods.

The same thing with “elation,” though.

Just because you’re feeling extreme happiness or joy, doesn’t mean you’re going into a manic episode, so don’t let that mood fool you either. It has to be for an extended period of time and have other symptoms with it to be an actual manic episode.

In my courses/systems, I talk about the difference between a normal mood and the mood swings of bipolar disorder, as well as the signs/symptoms of a bipolar episode:

SUPPORTING AN ADULT WITH BIPOLAR DISORDER?
Visit:
http://www.bipolarsupporter.com/report11

SUPPORTING A CHILD/TEEN WITH BIPOLAR DISORDER?
Visit:
http://www.bipolarparenting.com

HAVE BIPOLAR DISORDER?
Visit:
http://www.survivebipolar.net
But just don’t let your moods fool you.

Bipolar or not, you CAN have “normal” moods.

You can feel sadness and not be depressed.

You can feel joy and not be manic.

You can feel anger and not be manic as well.

Your moods can be extremely deceptive. When you’re depressed, you can think your life is worse than it really is.

When you’re extremely joyful, you can think your life is much better than it really is.

In good moods, things don’t feel so hard and problems don’t seem so overwhelming. You might feel like nothing is impossible to solve.

On the other hand, in bad moods, you might feel like everything is too hard for you and your problems are insurmountable, and your whole life is overwhelming.

This is another way your moods can fool you, so you also have to stay realistic.

When you’re in a good mood, relationships seem to flow and communication is easy. Even if your loved one or supporter criticizes you, you would probably just take it in stride, think maybe they just had a bad day, or whatever. You wouldn’t think you’re a bad person or anything or that they hate you.

But if you’re in a bad mood, on the other hand, you might take that criticism as a dig at your whole character and become totally depressed for days.

This is yet another way that your moods can fool you, so you have to also keep things in perspective.

So remember…

Bipolar or not…

DON’T BE FOOLED BY YOUR MOODS!

FIND OUT WHAT PEOPLE ARE SAYING ABOUT ME
Visit: http://www.bipolarcentral.com/testimonials

David Oliver is the author of the shocking guide “Bipolar Disorder—The REAL Silent Killer.” Click Here to get FREE Information sent via email on how and why bipolar disorder kills.

Hi,

I hope you’re doing well today.

Here’s my latest revelation:

Bipolar disorder is not a DISorder, it’s a problem with disORDER.

I’m always talking about systems, right?

In fact, in my courses/systems below, that’s exactly what I talk about, and the systems needed to manage bipolar disorder:

SUPPORTING AN ADULT WITH BIPOLAR DISORDER?
Visit:
http://www.bipolarsupporter.com/report11

SUPPORTING A CHILD/TEEN WITH BIPOLAR DISORDER?
Visit:
http://www.bipolarparenting.com

HAVE BIPOLAR DISORDER?
Visit:
http://www.survivebipolar.net
But here’s what I’m talking about:

For example, you have a system for doing your laundry, right? If you didn’t, you’d always be walking around in dirty clothes, and there would be disORDER!

Another thing – you have a system for eating. If you didn’t eat, you’d go hungry, and there would be disORDER.

Your whole body has a bunch of systems that run it:

Your respiratory system, your circulatory system, your endocrine system… just to name a few. And if any of these systems go wrong, there is disORDER in your whole body!

You must have/had a system for disciplining your children or else there would be chaos – there would be disORDER.

And think about work – plenty of systems there. In fact, each department at work probably has its own system. And each system needs to work together, or there’s disORDER.

What about our government? That’s probably the best example of all. We have one big system led by our President that runs the whole country.

But under him you’ve got lots of other systems, like the Congress, the House of Representatives, the Senate, etc., that are all systems of their own.

And even under them are other separate systems like the CIA, FBI… all the way down to your own local law enforcement.

ALL SYSTEMS.

Just think what would happen without these systems. Complete disORDER.

Now…

Think about your loved one with bipolar disorder.

Think about it with this perspective.

If your loved one doesn’t have systems in place, there will be disORDER!

If the government even has systems to keep from having disORDER, shouldn’t your loved one?

FIND OUT WHAT PEOPLE ARE SAYING ABOUT ME
Visit: http://www.bipolarcentral.com/testimonials

David Oliver is the author of the shocking guide “Bipolar Disorder—The REAL Silent Killer.” Click Here to get FREE Information sent via email on how and why bipolar disorder kills.