Hi,

How’s your day going?

I hope it is a good one.

Have you ever wondered if there was a single thing you could do to make recovery easier for your loved one? Well I’m certainly not going to claim that there is a cure-all, but there is something you can do to make things easier on your loved one as they work on recovery.

Wondering what I’m talking about?

Consistency.

When a person has bipolar disorder, it can seem like nothing in life is consistent. After all, even their moods aren’t! Can you imagine what that must feel like?

If we can be that one consistent thing in their life, wouldn’t we want to be? If we can provide any form of consistency in their life, wouldn’t we want to? Of course we would!

Now the real question is: how? How can we provide consistency in our loved one’s world, when everything else seems so hectic?

Well, one of the ways we can do so is to stay calm when we are responding to their different moods, and even their crisis situations. The more we can regulate our own moods, the more we can help them learn to regulate theirs. After all, most of us learn by example.

Not to mention that if we can regulate our own moods, then they will know ahead of time how we will react to things. Believe it or not, this can make all the difference in the world.

If we can be a constant source of calmness, while still being a source of reason and encouragement, then they will know that we are going to be a source of help no matter what. The calmer we are, the more we can help them through their struggles, and they are aware of this also (even if they don’t understand it on a conscious level.)

Another thing we can do to be consistent is to be a constant source of reason for them. After all, when they are in a manic state, they cannot provide their own reason. But if we provide it for them, then they know what to expect from us the next time.

Then they will know that they can come to us when they are not sure that they can trust their own judgment. This is crucial for them. After all, they have to have someone to go to when they are manic and cannot think clearly on their own accord.

Part of their recovery process is to learn to go to someone for advice, even when they are manic. If we can be that person that they trust to go to, and we can follow through with practical and sound advice, then we can truly help them through their recovery.

Another thing we can do to be consistent is to constantly be a source of encouragement. This is true all of the time, but especially when they are depressed. That is to say, they need encouragement the most when they are depressed. But that is not the only time that they need encouragement.

Also, if we can provide them with encouragement all of the time, then they will know that they can come to us when they need it. Wouldn’t it be great if our loved ones knew that they could come to us when they needed encouragement? That is most likely to happen if they are familiar with our encouragement. And they will be most familiar with our encouragement if they hear it a lot.

Now, our encouragement needs to change, of course, when they are in different moods. After all, the same encouragement won’t be effective when they are depressed as it was when they were manic. The same encouragement won’t be as effective when they are finally in a normal state as it was when they were in a mood swing.

When they are manic, we can encourage them to come to us or someone else they trust so that we can act as a sound mind for them. We can also encourage them to try to control their actions no matter how they may feel while manic.

When they are depressed, we can encourage them to get up and do something, despite how they may feel. We can encourage them to keep going, even though it may seem like there is no point in doing so. We can even encourage them by reminding them that there is still things worth living for.

When they are in a normal state, we can encourage them to follow their recovery plan so that they can stay in that state for longer than they might have otherwise.

Regardless of what state they are in, encouragement is a thing that can be helpful in their lives, especially if it is a constant thing.

Consistency is a thing that can help our loved ones in their recovery process, and we can show them that consistency by encouraging them, being a voice of reason, and staying calm. Wouldn’t you want to be the one constant thing in their life?

What do you think?

Well, I have to go!

Your Friend,

Dave