Hi,<\/p>\n
You know, I was thinking of the expression, \u201cWhatever is worth doing is worth doing well.\u201d Then I started thinking about how all the things I’ve done well took so much TIME!<\/p>\n
Like going to college, right? That took four years! And you know I’m a non-competitive body-<\/p>\n
builder, right? Well, it took a long time to look the way I do, and to stay at the weight that I\u2019m at now.<\/p>\n
Think about our government leaders \u2013 It took time for them to reach the high offices that they’re in now – they didn’t just get there overnight. I’m sure they thought the same thing that I did, that whatever is worth doing is worth doing right, and that those things take TIME.<\/p>\n
I even thought about opera singers (I know, and I don’t even like opera!) and how long and hard<\/p>\n
they have to train to get their voices to do that. It takes time.<\/p>\n
It seems like everything takes time. It takes time for a flower to grow. It takes time for children to grow into adults. It took time for us to get through school. For people with children, it took time to learn to be a parent (that sure doesn’t come easily \u2013 I know, because of my goddaughter).<\/p>\n
It takes time to learn how to be a good supporter to a loved one with bipolar disorder. Growth takes time. Learning takes time. Maturity takes time. Advancement in a job takes time. Saving money takes time. Getting to retirement takes time. Having grandchildren takes time. Growing old takes time.<\/p>\n
AND\u2026 RECOVERY TAKES TIME.<\/p>\n
Yes. Recovery from bipolar disorder takes TIME.<\/p>\n
First of all, just getting your loved one to agree to treatment probably took time. It\u2019s important for them to be a part of their own treatment, and this, too, takes time. Even if your loved one is in treatment for the disorder, recovery isn’t going to happen overnight for them.<\/p>\n
Hopefully, your loved one has at least admitted that they have bipolar disorder. But even to get to that point can take a great deal of time in itself. For some people with the disorder, it takes time to get over the denial part. Then, they have to acknowledge that they need help, which can take more time. Then, they have to agree to get that help. Which means agreeing to take medication. Along with agreeing to cooperate with therapy, which means agreeing to see their doctor and therapist. And taking their medication. That means being medication and therapy-<\/p>\n
compliant, which many people with bipolar disorder are NOT, at first. It takes TIME.<\/p>\n
And all this time, they’re hoping that you’ll be patient, understanding, and supportive. Now, being a supporter of that caliber definitely takes time! It definitely isn\u2019t easy, either. Some of this support doesn\u2019t come naturally to us. And sometimes our loved ones don\u2019t make it easy to support them, either. It takes time to understand some of their bipolar behaviors.<\/p>\n
Your loved one, even if they are willing and cooperative with their therapy and medication which they’ll need for recovery, will still need time for it to take effect. It will take time. It may take quite a while before you see changes in your loved one.<\/p>\n
But hang in there: Recovery just takes TIME.<\/p>\n
Well, I have to go!<\/p>\n
Your Friend,<\/p>\n
Dave<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Hi,<\/p>\n
You know, I was thinking of the expression, \u201cWhatever is worth doing is worth doing well.\u201d Then I started thinking about how all the things I’ve done well took so much TIME!<\/p>\n
Like going to college, right? That took four years! And you know I’m a non-competitive body-<\/p>\n
builder, right? Well, it took a long time to look the way I do, and to stay at the weight that I\u2019m at now.<\/p>\n