Hi,
Hope this is a good day for you.
Hey I have to go really, really quick today. I actually mapped this out in my mind last night because I couldn’t sleep.
Oh someone was complaining that I had a typo here and there. Here’s the deal. I spend a ton of time every year on these daily emails.
Up to 75 minutes EVERY DAY. 365 days a year, including Christmas, my birthday, etc.
It’s not the easiest thing to do and I try to get great information out within 75 minutes.
If I have a typo here or there I am sorry. I can’t however spend even more time sending to multiple editors and making the entire process take hours. If I did this, I wouldn’t ever do it at all.
Just think, last year I spend more than 365 hours on this. That’s a lot. BUT I am committed to it. Anyway, I just wanted to address the typo issue.
Oh one last thing. People have asked to edit my daily emails. And then when I ask them if they are willing to do it at 8:00am EVERY SINGLE DAY with NO days off and get the editing done really fast, well they can’t do that or make a promise of that nature : )
Anyway, okay let’s move on.
I was talking to this girl the other day, and she was telling me about how when she was little, her and the girls in her neighborhood would make these things called “gum chains.” It was a woman in the gym. She was bored “out of her mind walking on the tread mill.”
Anyway, she said….
They would take the paper wrappers off sticks of gum, and somehow fold them (I suppose in ways that today we would call origami), and link them together and form chains with them.
So what does this have to do with bipolar disorder?
Well, I was thinking about that story, and it made me think of something like a bipolar liking chain.
It would go something like this:
Your loved one likes you.
They like themselves.
They like to live.
They like their doctor.
They like their treatment.
They like to feel better.
They like their life after the medication makes them feel better.
They like their life with you.
They like their family.
They like doing well.
They like their hobbies.
They like stability.
See what I mean?
It’s like a chain. And the chain keeps growing, and keeps getting better as long as certain things are in place.
In my courses/systems below, the (shall we say) chain starts with a treatment program:
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:
Now, if your loved one has certain things in place, they will have a good CHAIN:
1. Medication
2. Doctor
3. Psychiatrist
4. Therapist
5. Supporter
6. Support System
7. Treatment Plan
8. Diet
9. Exercise
10. Sleep
11. Watch Triggers
12. Self-Care
See what I mean?
And all these things are necessary parts of the chain.
Some things may be added, like hobbies, and some things may change (like you may have a social worker instead of a therapist), but you must still have a bipolar liking chain.
Like the little girls’ gum chain, if any part of the chain comes out, the whole chain falls apart!
Like the bipolar liking chain, would you like to be the part of the liking chain that was missing? I’m sure you wouldn’t.
So all parts have to be present for your loved one to achieve stability, which is the end goal, after all, isn’t it?
Maybe there’s some things in YOUR bipolar liking chain that I’ve forgotten.
If there are, please share them with the rest of us?
I have to take off. Catch you tomorrow morning.
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
Dave,
Thank You for this info… I am a new subscriber and I haven’t had enough exposure to your material/emails to have noticed any typos but I think it’s great that you admit to being human and you won’t get a note from me about it!
I like the connection you made between the gum wrapper chain and a successful life’s events in a chain of order…
It’s a good visual for me because I’ve made the chains.
Thank You again & have a great day!
Rev/Mrs Diana Holliday
*Hollywood, CA*
Dave,
Thank you so much for this information! I am in the process of learning all about this disorder, as I am dating/living with a man who has this illness. Right now he is in the hospital after a severe episode, that in actuality lasted about four months. Now the doctors had diagnosed him with not only bipolar disorder, but also schizophrenia as well. I have never had to deal with anything like this before, so this is all very new to me. I am committed to him, and will do anything necessary to help him. But as you know, this is all overwhelming sometimes. The things he says hurt me so much, and I try to tell myself that it is the illness, and not him talking right now, but that does not always work, and I fell terribly guilty about getting upset and angry with him.
Things are very rough right now emotionally, and financially, so I have not been able to order your courses that you offer, but I am so grateful to know that you send out daily emails, and that you care enough to do that typo’s and all!
I’m your complainer—-and it isn’t the typos that bother me. Those are acceptable. It’s the grammar. Today you used “her” as a subject.
I am trying to get the word out about an organization called B.R.A.I.N. (Brain Tumor Resource and Information Network).
My sister died this last May of a brain tumor and if I had known about this organization she might still be alive and doing well.
If you or any one you know knows of anyone with a brain tumor, please visit http://www.brainsite.org for incredible information.
Please pass this on!
Blessings,
Pam McDonald
Look at the messages in here. My gosh, quit it. Do you understand what Dave is saying? Bet you don’t, because you are to busy looking at the error’s. Take the messages and run with them. Hopefully Dave will have something that deals with compulsive disorder.
Dave,
I really enjoy reading your news letter.
Your news letter are just fine and I want to thank you
for taking the time in sending us the information.
Crystal
david its all right to make typoes i am bipolar and it is very hard to deal with things. you are doing a good job at what you do on here.
David,
When i was still in high school my boyfriend (husband later) use to make those chains. when christmas came around it was big enough to wrap around a large tree several times. Its surpriseing how things get lost
and come around again.
On the today’s show the other day said that the styles of the 60’s had come back. Boy! I can tell you about those with stirup streatch pants
minni skirts and pointed toed shoes. Now! what
carol
david,
there is somethig that i want to bring to your attention. my postings are searchable by google, yahoo etc. by my email address and name. can you remove all of my postings from your site.
the reason is that if my ex-loved one finds this, it would be very harmful to her. this is not for selfish reasons. the postings would be a trigger for her and she is already manic. suicide attempts have already been made and i could not live with myself if something happened to her at all, not to mention something i posted!!
please please remove all of my postings from your supporter blog.
i fully support you and the great work you do for bipolar!! keep up the great work!!
todd
Dave,
Thank you for the very good image of the chain, both as a connector and as the broken thing that can break restrictions and result in loss of boundaries, inhibitions, prohibitions, etc.
I am just accepting my diagnosis of bipolar 1, etc., after thirty-one years of living (chaotically) with it. A strong chain may hold things intact; may keep necessary things in place, while keeping “bad” (not healthy) things out.
I truly appreciate your efforts to help those of us who struggle with this illness.
I am hungry for the “food” in your information. Thank you for giving some of us more hope in forming a lifeline and helping our loved one be part of our daily lives. My mom had her first episode when I was 4. That was almost 50 years ago. We do not know much about this disease and have been hurt for years by her behavior. Her disease was our “elephant” in the living room we endured all our lives, and she wasn’t diagnosed until we had left home. Thanks again. D and family
David,
What you are doing for the persons with your “chain” of incondicional love and help, this yes is very important. Thank you David for all , and God blesses you. Lilian P.
Dear Dave,
Don’t worry about the typos or grammatical errors. I always get your message and, for some reason, they always make me smile 🙂
Kat
Hi Delphine: Are you either suffering from bipolar disorder or supporting someone who is? Either way, you shouldn’t be complaining about typos, spelling or any other grammatical errors…these blogs are intended to share information, some of which is quite valuable, regarding bipolar disorder. 99.999 percent of us are GRATEFUL and THANKFUL for the information that David provides daily. If you do not appreciate or need the information, please refrain from making comments which are NOT helpful.
Probably, they like their job, they like the people they work with, they like how much and when they are paid, they like to be acknowledged, etc…
i love your articles. i have a problem. my bf of 8yrs. has been diagnosed with bipolar and we have moved to another town and we cannnot get him any medicine. we went to mental health and they wrote him a scrip now hes been off his medicine for 4mths. and its hell . my doc wont even see him and ive called the better health clinic and everywhere else, the er wont see him till he gets a primary care doc and right now we dont have 174.oo to give to a doc. please help we live in fayetteville nc.c
The “chain making” came almost a generation AFTER I left grammar school, so I never made one. But I WAS impressed in how each link made the chain stronger.
Your “links” are very important; however, what does one do who does NOT have a supporter/loved one to turn to when a trigger shows up? I’m not even sure if I phoned the Community Mental Health Center off-hours, I would get help. It IS hard not having someone to “share” with and get an opinion of whether I’m “OK” or not.
Anyway, Dave, FORGET your grammatical errors; those of us who appreciate your emails look through them to the MESSAGE, which is more important in the long run. Just keep on, keepin’ on, and I, for one, love the fact that you take the 75 min every morning to write with such objectivity and knowledge about the every-day life of bipolar survivors AND supporters. Just writing to say “Thank you.”
BIG HUGS to those with bipolar disorder and the ones who love us. May God bless you real good.
When building or creating anything positive, it’s so important to stay focused on the positive. I’ve seen many examples in life how the negative tries to steal the focus and could ultimately destroy the positive work.
I believe endurance is needed in all our worthy victories.
We have to learn to laugh at the human errors in our life, while we grow and improve, especially if our (or someone else’s) heart is in the right place.
Appreciate each others efforts.
Respect the Teacher in order to gain from their classroom. We learn from each other, because we see life differently.
May God bless the diligent. Vicky
To DeeDee,
Thank you for what you had to say I totally agree with you about Delphine Sanks complaining……..
Dave thank you so much for all you do and share with us about bipolar, you do a great job and you have helped many surviors and supporters.
God Bless you for all your efforts.
Your support is worthy in my opinion. If only I could tell you what I’ve been through since I was 17, you would literally die. Perhaps I’ll write a book one day but then again, perhaps I won’t. There is light at the end of that wretched tunnel, believe me and I’ve had every demon in heaven and hell on my tail and I came through. Time is of the essence and yet suicide is painless – remember the theme music to Mash? Good luck with all your work. I have an ex-Major of the British Army to protect me now when I need him but I still fear that is not enough. My partner of 24 years (in November) loves and adores me but it is still not enough to protect me sometimes. Should I stay or should I GO? Who knows? Not I! Ask Joshua…
Hello,like some one said up on one of there replys it doesn’t matter about typos as long as you get the message. If they don’t get the message then maybe they soud put in a reply so you can clear it up for them. From what you have said so far you sound like a out standing gie and i thank you so, so, so, so, so much for doing this for me and evey one else that would like to know all this information. And thank you so much for being here for who ever needs it. You realy are a good harted gie. For who ever said stuff about your typo i can honestly say that, that person is consedead and is stuck there self and they must think that they are better then every one else. But i hate to brake it to them they have another thing comeing. NOONE is perfict in ANY way. So again THANK YOU so much Dave for every thing that you are doing and you really are once again an out standing and good harted gie. God bless you and your family. Yours Sincerly: Jessica from VT
Little Dave, you rant on and on that we should take our “Medicine”, and see our Quack! That is all you ever say, oh and I have NO time. The Boys at the Gym miss you do yhey?
Well Bud the “Medicine” makes me a HELL of a LOT WORSE, SO depressed… And the Quacks, hell they will never Know anything, as they have NO need to know anything, nor help. They are Beyond Worthless, and have Ruined my life. Yes I believe I have Medical induced Brain Dammage, NOT BP. As I have hardly any BP symptoms for a start, NONE before seeing the psychiatrist Lowest form of organism.
Fancy YOU/THEY/The DRUG CARTELLS making money off those who are suffering, and giving only misery in return.
Then you complain about 1 Hour a day. So you get $100K Per Hour? NOT Bad. If you have NO Morals, Human Qualities & such, you are a Psych.
HiDave, I liked your idea of chains.Please try not to worry about the discouraging e mails which you are sure to get always.You are trying to help people in your own way.You don’t have a guarantee that 100% of them will surely be helped.I just know that all of us talk about “helping others” all the time but how many have the guts to do it.You are involved with such a sensitive issue here that you are bound to be criticised.You just keep on doing whatever you feel is right.Leave the rest to God.
Typos are sometimes a necessary evil. They show our imperfection and show our true humanity. You talk through your words, you talk to people through your words…you talk to people who are not textbook anything through your daily written words…therefore, a few typos here and there are good. How often do we talk to friends or family and lose track of thought, or go on to another topic, or can’t find the right words, or choose words that could be better used elsewhere? People….pay closer attention to what is being said rather than HOW it is being said. Forgive the little for the greater.
Ok…off my soapbox. Sorry about that. You mention stability. I’m still new here…and still new to my bipolar diagnosis. Can someone please tell me more about what stable feels like….because I’m confused. My therapist said that my meds would make me feel ‘normal’….what does ‘normal’ feel like? All I know are the highs and lows….I can’t even tell you what triggers them, I just know they come.