Hi,<\/p>\n
Do you remember years ago there was this popular thing going around where you would stare at this picture that looked meaningless, just like a bunch of random colors on a page\u2026But if you relaxed your eyes and stared at it for awhile\u2026It would turn into a picture right before your eyes?<\/p>\n
A hidden picture? That would happen because there were actually patterns hidden in the colors.<\/p>\n
Well, there are patterns to life, too. That\u2019s why we do the things we do. Unfortunately, it\u2019s why we keep repeating the same mistakes we keep repeating as well. And if we don\u2019t change our ways\u2026We\u2019ll keep repeating those patterns over and over again, because\u2026As they say\u2026\u201cIf nothing changes, nothing changes.\u201d<\/p>\n
Well\u2026There can be patterns to your loved one\u2019s bipolar disorder as well. Cycles, if you will.<\/p>\n
It\u2019s one of the things you need to watch for as a bipolar supporter \u2013 patterns in your loved one\u2019s bipolar disorder and in their moods and behavior.<\/p>\n
For example: There\u2019s this woman, Phyllis, and every year at the same time, she goes through a bipolar depressive episode. Why? And why at that particular time? Because it\u2019s a pattern for her. Because at that time, her father passed away. And every year at that time, she grieves for her father. And that begins a cycle for her. She gets depressed, then she goes deeper\u2026 Then she gets so deep into the depression that she ends up in a bipolar depressive episode and can\u2019t even get out of bed. Every year at the same time. She feels like she can\u2019t help herself. But the truth is that she CAN. One of the things I always tell people is to watch for episode triggers so that you can fend off episodes before they take hold. So, in Phyllis\u2019s case, every year at the anniversary of her father\u2019s death, that would be an episode trigger for her.<\/p>\n
So what do you do when you\u2019re faced with an episode trigger? If you start to experience symptoms of a bipolar episode, you call your psychiatrist right away, so they can help you. If you do that\u2026Usually all it takes is just a temporary increase in your medication to ward off a full-fledged bipolar episode. This way your loved one won\u2019t end up in the hospital or need any major help or anything. And they won\u2019t go into a major episode. But it all starts with noticing patterns. You can watch for patterns in their behavior. Like when the weather changes. Many people with bipolar disorder experience depression during the winter months because there is less natural sunlight. It happens to them every year during the winter months. That might be a pattern for your loved one as well.<\/p>\n
Well, I have to go!<\/p>\n
Your Friend,<\/p>\n
Dave<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Hi,<\/p>\n
Do you remember years ago there was this popular thing going around where you would stare at this picture that looked meaningless, just like a bunch of random colors on a page\u2026But if you relaxed your eyes and stared at it for awhile\u2026It would turn into a picture right before your eyes?<\/p>\n
A hidden picture? That would happen because there were actually patterns hidden in the colors.<\/p>\n
Well,<\/p>\n