Hi,<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
There\u2019s this funny story about this woman who wanted new curtains. So her husband got her new curtains. But then she said that the carpet didn\u2019t go with the new curtains, so they had to get new carpeting. So her husband got her new carpeting. But then she said that the new curtains and the new carpeting didn\u2019t go with the couch, so they had to get a new couch. So her husband got her a new couch. But then she said that the coffee table didn\u2019t go with the new curtains, new carpeting and the new couch, so they had to get a new coffee table. So her husband got her a new coffee table. But then she decided that she didn\u2019t like the new curtains after all. Her husband just threw up his hands in exasperation and left the house screaming.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Wasn\u2019t that a funny story? I thought so. But it\u2019s a story that illustrates a point I want to make. It\u2019s about making too many changes all at once. Like in your loved one\u2019s case. Your loved one, once they\u2019re diagnosed, is going to be asked by their therapist to make changes in their lifestyle.<\/p>\n
But the thing is, they\u2019re not asked to do this all at the same time. See\u2026You have to remember that they didn\u2019t get this way overnight, and they\u2019re not going to change overnight, either. You just have to be patient. The important thing is that they be working on changing. That\u2019s all that their therapist should be asking of them to do. So that\u2019s all that you should be asking of them to<\/p>\n
do, too. But their therapist doesn\u2019t have to deal with them as much or as closely as you do, so that\u2019s easy to say, isn\u2019t it? I know that for you it\u2019s much harder. It\u2019s hard to be patient with someone else sometimes. Especially someone who has bipolar disorder. I know, because I went through it with my mom. I wanted her to get better so bad. So bad that at times I lost my patience. Things just didn\u2019t go as fast as I thought they should at times, you know? It\u2019s tough to remember that change will only happen as a matter of course, in its own time. Again I have to stress that the important thing is that your loved one be working on changing.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
It\u2019s like this article I read on uncluttering your life: It said that rather than be overwhelmed by a complete overhaul, you should pick a different area of your life to tackle each month \u2013 from your desk at work, to your medicine cabinet, to your linen closet. It\u2019s just too overwhelming to do the whole thing at once. It has to be done in stages. Your loved one\u2019s changing is the same thing. It has to be done in stages, too. The encouraging thing is that you should be able to see progress happening along the way, though. For example: If you and your loved one fight a lot, this may be<\/p>\n
one of the first things that they and their therapist tackle in therapy, because it\u2019s so important. So you should see a decrease in fighting as your loved one learns to deal with their anger better.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Well, I have to go!<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Your Friend,<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Dave<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Hi,<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
There\u2019s this funny story about this woman who wanted new curtains. So her husband got her new curtains. But then she said that the carpet didn\u2019t go with the new curtains, so they had to get new carpeting. So her husband got her new carpeting. But then she said that the new curtains and the new carpeting didn\u2019t go with the couch, so they had to get a new couch.<\/p>\n