Hi,
Hope your day is going well.
Okay, there is no bipolar news today. Here’s what happen. We had a person have to resign for serious medical problems that were NRTB (not related to bipolar).
I do not actually post the news on the internet. I don’t know HTML and that kind of thing.
I am sitting here looking for the news but it’s not up. I am not sure why.
I have to call the person. I guess she had trouble but it doesn’t make me happy that I wasn’t notified let’s say yesterday or last night.
Anyway sorry. I am REALLY annoyed by this.
I will have it posted hopefully tomorrow.
I want to talk to you about something today.
It’s about tweaking your treatment plan.
You know I work out a lot, right?
Well, sometimes I have to “change up” (or “tweak”) my routine some, or I would get bored with it, and then I probably wouldn’t
work out as much as I do.
This is why I work in about 9 different libraries and do cardio in many different parks.
Well, this is sort of like that, only with your treatment plan.
I mean, obviously, there are some things you just can’t change (unless they aren’t working).
Your medication, as long as it’s working fine, is something you just shouldn’t mess with. If you are having problems with it, or the side effects are bothering you, that’s something you should tell your doctor about.
That’s NOT what I’m talking about here. Therapy is another part of your treatment plan that is very, very important.
If you’re happy with your therapist, fantastic!
But if you’ve been with them for a long time and you don’t feel you’re getting anything out of therapy any more, or you just feel like you’re going out of habit more than anything else, then that’s something you may want to tweak.
First, talk to your therapist. Tell them how you feel. If you’re supposed to be with that therapist, then maybe you just need a tweak in your sessions (or go down to less sessions).
If you’re not supposed to be with that therapist any more, then you may have to think about switching therapists. Again, this is something you should discuss with them. If this is what you decide to do, it would be good to have them on your side, as they may be able to give you a referral.
In my courses/systems below, I go over all the parts that make up a comprehensive treatment plan. Medication and therapy are just two of the parts:
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
Exercise should be part of your treatment regimen, but if, like me, you get bored with the type of exercise you’re doing, you may want to tweak your routine. If you’ve been walking, try swimming instead (or the opposite). If you’ve been doing free weights, try the machines instead (or the opposite). There are many options for exercise programs.
If you’ve been exercising at home, consider joining a gym or use free programs you may find in your area. If you’ve been exercising alone, try working out with a friend.
You should be eating a healthy diet as part of your treatment regiment, but maybe it’s gotten too bland, and could use some tweaking. Try some different cooking ideas. Buy a low-fat cookbook and try some new recipes.
Look online for foods you like and make meals using those foods. Meals shouldn’t be boring. If you’ve been eating 3 regular meals a day, try tweaking that to 6 smaller meals a day.
And be flexible! Instead of thinking of it as “dieting,” (which everyone hates and is too restrictive), eat what you want, just in smaller portions, while being health conscious, and if every once in awhile you want that small bite of a candy bar, allow yourself that luxury! (That way, you won’t want to eat that whole cake later on and feel like a big “cheater”!)
Sleep is still so very important, but can still be tweaked if you need to. If you decided on a 9:00 bedtime but still find yourself up and tossing and turning at 10 pm, just change your bedtime to 10:00 and tweak your morning rise time.
As long as you are still getting 8-9 hours of good sleep every night, the hours you go to bed and rise aren’t as important. Go to bed and rise according to what works for you and YOUR body’s internal clock.
Enjoyment is an important part of everyone’s life (bipolar or not). If you aren’t having enough fun in your life, perhaps that’s an area that needs to be tweaked. Now, don’t go so far as to get manic or anything, but make sure you include enjoyment as part of your treatment regimen. Remember not to neglect your supporter, either, as that is very important.
“Date Nights” are a great way to keep your relationship with your supporter close and let them know how much you appreciate what they do for you. (Maybe this is an area you need to tweak? Intimacy is very important.)
Make sure you are taking care of your mental health – things like stress reduction techniques and relaxation exercises are also important in management of bipolar disorder. If you have been slacking off in these areas, maybe these are a couple of those areas that need to be tweaked.
Get back to basics. Maybe you’ve gotten away from some of those things that worked in the beginning, but that you stopped doing. You may want to go back to doing those things.
Maintaining a good treatment plan is crucial for good management of bipolar disorder.
Sometimes all it takes is some tweaking!
PLEASE POST RESPONSES TO THIS EMAIL BELOW
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.
Post responses below
have a mate thats heading for sure death will not get help
Dear David, I so look forward to what you have to say everyday and am amazed on how you come up with your topics. I had my therapy this morning and have been attending the same lady for a few years. Last week I discuss on why am here. And my conclusion was support. If I didnt have her to go to there would be no one else for me to let out how i really feel and not be judged. She not there to try and cure me or sort out my problems but to help me see through them and get to the other side of them. some people think if they go they’ll b better in a few weeks /months not the case, BUT you do feel good when you talk.
Dee Dee has been on my mind and I havent seen any blogs from her in a few days I know she was having a hard time. I hope you are okay DeeDee
God Bless Amanda
my head is so mixed up ,i cant focus on basic simple things,my memory is really bad, maybe its meds,i wish i could get away from my head,how can i escape????
To: David Oliver
Good advice on “Tweaking” Will try to remember your suggestions going forward…Thanks Kathy PS Hope the Stress in your life eases soon…Glad your Mom seems to be doing okay, hope your Dad is improving quickly…Take Care
With the subject line I was hoping you were going to BP folks how to reconnect with the folks they have wronged… I am trying to reconnect with an unmedicated bipolar that has reportedly gone Schizo (?sp), how can I make her understand that her mind is playing tricks on her and her memories are false? How can I let her know that I love her and want to help her?
I have been struggling with a couple of areas with my BP. Your topic today was very helpful. My troubles has been with my BP possible is triggering a eating disorder that I have had for years (fear of eating solid foods, afraid of choking) and trying to lose the weight which my Psych. is monitoring. I also have a few other phobias. I am on good medications now, it took me to find a Psych. that is known for being really good with the medications. My other thing is that I was doing cognitive behaviour therapy which is boring me and now I have not been able to afford to go since my Psych. raised is copay. I know this is a important part of my treatment and need to find a way to go back to it. I also returned to working out, but lack going out as much as I should. So I have to thank you for the suggestions in this newsletter as they are very helpful. Hope your Father gets better and your Mother stays healthy during this trying time.
I tweeked my routine. Stopped seeing psychiatrists. Stopped “medication.” aND lowered Li from 2000mg to 1000mg Lithium per day. I feel a lot better. On 2000mg I had all the OD symptoms. My psych. told me: “You’ll get used to it.” “When I am Dead?”
I knew they where ALL the OD signs from a Li Book she gave me. Other things in the Book she did not care to know either?
Have I in reading 1 Book, Read MORE than her? Seems likley.
All say I am a lot Better. My Brain is still not 1/2 it was. I have gone from IQ 190, to IQ 133. I still sleep over twice as long. “Dr.s still want to further Deceribate “medicate” me. They say they can get a Court order? I am NO danger to me or others, what’s the problem, I complained of Criminal acts performed by the psych. & co. Two Professors of Pstchiatry one in the UK, one in the USA both told me via E-Mail:
“What has happened to you is not only unethical, it is also ilegal.” Hence they want to lock me up, & Destroy my Mind Body & soul Further, my Family is already GONE!
I believe it’s Medicaly Induced Brain Damage. That is Bi-Polar etc. Cirtain brain damage can show some signs of “mental illness.” Mental Illness is “brain Damage.”
What’s the problem? The problem is psychiatrists, & overprescribing of VILE DRUGS!. Why will none take the Drugs? If the Drugs did as we are “Promised” they do, ALL would be lining up for them. Sadly they do the opp. As Lilly, Zyprexa Olanzapine is in Court for Lies.QED!
BUDDING SCIENTOLOGIST.
Well…here’s a new trend to psychiatry: Psychiatrists no longer want to prescribe medication. They want to still be paid for the office visit with the client, but they want the primary care physician to write the prescriptions.
David
Hey, so the news is late. It’s no big deal – stuff happens, and a lot worse than that. Public executions went out years ago so stop waving your axe about in front of everyone. No one wants to hear about “dirty laundry” – just tell us a glitch has occurred and will be fixed. All this ‘it was somebodies fault and I’m angry…’ stuff, it’s so unprofessional. You are better than that! Okay?
Graham,
Lighten up man…Dave is human, he gives us a chance to vent and share our problems on this website,so maybe today he needs to vent some a little, let him .. professional people need to vent to and after all isn’t this his free daily email that he sent us to allow us to post a response to maybe help each other.
We all have a bad day,Dave is allowed to have one too.
Thank you Dave for all you do for us to learn more about bipolar.
Have a great weekend.
I am in a similar position Theresa. I met an old friend after my wife died of MSA. The friend who I fell in love with was bp, unknown to me at the time. It eventually ended in such trauma for me and her. I feared she might take her life. my emotions are pretty mixed up. We have since been briefly in contact via e-mail. Like Theresa I have no where to go I can not say any thing regarding her bp, she is not on medication. I also seem to have to live in denial somehow to cope, like the rest of her familly.
Tweak your treatment? I was just recommended a treatment for my loved one through a gyno of all docs to EMDR (Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing). She said that two years ago she sent a patient that had been through a horrifying sexual attack to get this treatment and the patient reports success in the attack memories but ALSO her bp symptoms almost disappeared. Has anyone else had any experience with this????