Hi,<\/p>\n
I just wanted to write today about something that\u2019s been bothering me.<\/p>\n
You see, I get a lot of emails from people who just complain a lot about being supporters of<\/p>\n
a loved one with bipolar disorder, about how it keeps them from doing the things they want<\/p>\n
to do, and having the life they want to have, etc., etc., and that bothers me a real lot.<\/p>\n
I\u2019ll tell you why that bothers me so much. Because they don\u2019t have to be that way.<\/p>\n
I know someone else who is a supporter, who never seems to complain about it at all! She just goes along with her life as if she doesn\u2019t even have a problem at all with being a supporter!<\/p>\n
And she just has the best attitude of anyone I\u2019ve ever seen. She has this real positive attitude, not like the complainers I get who have a real negative attitude about everything.<\/p>\n
Which person do you think I would rather talk to?<\/p>\n
You\u2019re right!<\/p>\n
Because the second person lifts me up when I talk to her, and makes me feel better.<\/p>\n
So we have two different people, both supporters, both with the same set of problems.<\/p>\n
So what\u2019s the difference between them?<\/p>\n
Their attitude!<\/p>\n
I talk to many supporters about this. I talk about how you need to have a positive attitude, or it will just bring you down, and then nobody will even want to be around you. Your own health and well-being will suffer, and stuff like that.<\/p>\n
In other words, it just isn\u2019t healthy for you to have a bad attitude or to complain about being a supporter of a loved one with bipolar disorder.<\/p>\n
So let\u2019s look at the second supporter. If she has a bad attitude at all, it\u2019s against the disorder itself.<\/p>\n
I had a chance to ask her how she keeps her attitude so positive while being the supporter<\/p>\n
of a loved one with bipolar disorder.<\/p>\n
Here are some of the things she told me:<\/p>\n
She says she\u2019s not going to let the disorder rule her life \u2013 that she is the one who is going<\/p>\n
to be in control, not the disorder.<\/p>\n
She says that she has a choice in how she feels, and she chooses to feel positive.<\/p>\n
I\u2019ve asked other supporters about it, too, and here are some of their answers:<\/p>\n
1.\tSeparate your loved one from their disorder.<\/p>\n
2.\tIt\u2019s ok to hate the disorder, but still love your<\/p>\n
loved one.<\/p>\n
3.\tThink about your loved one and how they are<\/p>\n
when they are NOT in an episode.<\/p>\n
4.\tStay close to your loved one, so that they feel<\/p>\n
your support.<\/p>\n
5.\tHave your own support system, too.<\/p>\n
6.\tTake care of yourself.<\/p>\n
7.\tDo things that are fun for yourself.<\/p>\n
8.\tHave good communication with your<\/p>\n
loved one.<\/p>\n
9.\tMake sure you have a life of your own,<\/p>\n
too, or you might get swallowed up in<\/p>\n
your loved one\u2019s bipolar disorder.<\/p>\n
10.\tNot everything is an emergency.<\/p>\n
11.\t Take things as they come.<\/p>\n
12.\tLive One Day at a Time.<\/p>\n
13.\tTry to see the good in every situation.<\/p>\n
14.\tKeep a positive attitude.<\/p>\n
Well, I think those are some pretty good responses, don\u2019t you?<\/p>\n
Well, I have to go!<\/p>\n
Your Friend,<\/p>\n
Dave<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Hi,<\/p>\n
I just wanted to write today about something that\u2019s been bothering me.<\/p>\n
You see, I get a lot of emails from people who just complain a lot about being supporters of<\/p>\n
a loved one with bipolar disorder, about how it keeps them from doing the things they want<\/p>\n
to do, and having the life they want to have, etc., etc., and that bothers me a real lot.<\/p>\n