==>>Help with ALL aspects of bipolar disorder<<==
Check out all my resources, programs and information
for all aspects of bipolar disorder by visiting:
http:\/\/www.bipolarcentral.com\/catalog.asp<\/p>\n
Hi,<\/p>\n
What’s going on? Well today is Saturday
and the weekend is finally here.<\/p>\n
Yesterday I spent the entire afternoon volunteering
with an organization that helps those who are
dealing with bipolar disorder.<\/p>\n
I was kind of annoyed because some people backed out
and that meant I had to do everything myself.<\/p>\n
BUT, while I was doing what I had to do,
I thought of something that happened the
other day that I forgot to tell you.<\/p>\n
So I guess it’s a good thing that I was
by myself and had a lot of time to think.<\/p>\n
Let me tell you the story.<\/p>\n
I got in an argument with my dad the
other day. It
was about my mom and a “bipolar situation”
and the mistake my dad keeps on making that
so many others make and it creates such
problems for them.<\/p>\n
This make, I think, is the #1
reason I think bipolar really seriously hurt
our family for so many years. It’s the #1
thing that I corrected when I took over
and was my mom’s chief supporter.<\/p>\n
What is it? The mistake is called NOT
standing up to bipolar disorder. <\/p>\n
What do I mean? Well bipolar disorder is a mood
disorder where a person can say and\/or do
things the normally never ever would do OR
is not in their best long term interest.<\/p>\n
Many people with bipolar disorder go into
episodes and do a whole lot of things
that create huge gigantic problems for
them in the future.<\/p>\n
For example some people with bipolar
disorder (NOT everyone but a lot of people
who go into episodes):<\/p>\n
-Spend money on big purchases they don’t need
-Borrow money and take out l.oans
-Quit a job
-Do something that loses them health insurance
-Have unprotected sex
-Get into drugs and alcohol
-Make promises they absolutely can’t positively keep
-Say things that wind up getting them into big trouble.<\/p>\n
NOTE-
I just know I am going to get a lot of hate mail
from people who have bipolar and say I am stereotyping.
Hey if you are about to write me hate mail, no matter
how good you are, let’s be honest, you and I know
that what I wrote is true, right for many
people with bipolar, NOT everyone but many people, right?
So before you send me hate mail or call with anger,
understand I am writing to a mass audience and trying
to prevent problems not writing about those with
bipolar disorder that do everything right and don’t
have any problems. Make sense? I hope so.<\/p>\n
Anyway, there are a whole lot of things that a person
who goes into a bipolar episode can do.<\/p>\n
I saw this my entire life. Over my life, sometimes
my mom was in an episode and bad things happened:<\/p>\n
-Entire periods where we never ate dinner together
or went on vacation<\/p>\n
-An entire period where we had to have the lights
off in the house for the most part<\/p>\n
-Entire periods where money was spent on the most
ridiculous things<\/p>\n
-Entire periods of time when the house wasn’t cleaned<\/p>\n
-Entire periods of time when I got screamed at for no reason.
It was far worse for my brother. He got screamed at a lot from
what he has told me.<\/p>\n
-Entire periods of time when money would vanish<\/p>\n
And other bad things. These things occurred when
my mom was in an episode over a long period of
time. I am not saying that every single day of
my life growing up was horrible–it was not.<\/p>\n
But there were times when the craziest things
would be going on for lack of a better word. The
reason why these things went on, or most of them,
was because no one stood up to bipolar disorder.<\/p>\n
Instead of my dad standing up to bipolar, he always
backed down. I can’t think of one time my dad
stood up to bipolar.<\/p>\n
So recently, my dad thought my mom wanted to quit
her job. She actually didn’t, but he thought
she did, and he was going to go along with it.<\/p>\n
I was like, “dad are you kidding me? Her job
is part of both of your low cost health care,
if she quit, 50% of your healthcare is gone…
did you think of that?”<\/p>\n
He mumbled something and I was so super annoyed
that after all this time, he still doesn’t stand
up to bipolar.<\/p>\n
I thought in my head, if my mom really wanted
to quit, he would have gone along with it
under the guise of “keeping the peace”
or that he is older and doesn’t like to argue.<\/p>\n
I have explained to him on more than one occasion
his plan of NOT standing up to bipolar disorder
has failed for more than 40 years.<\/p>\n
When I took over the first thing I did was
stand up to bipolar. I refused to go along
with ridiculous things that my mom’s bipolar
was demanding like giving her c.redit cards
so she could spend money when she already
had no job and $30,000+ of d.ebt. My dad actually
wanted me to give her c.redit cards back
and I said no way. Period.<\/p>\n
Today my mom thanks me for this decision.<\/p>\n
Don’t forget this. <\/p>\n
You have to stand up to bipolar disorder.<\/p>\n
What does it mean? Well there is going
to be these times that the bipolar
disorder can start demanding things that
are not good for the person with it or
the people around them and you are going
to have to say no and not go along with
it.<\/p>\n
It will be tough. You will get yelled at.
Bad things will be said about you. But in
the end, it will be the right decision.
You will have to hang in there. Your loved
one’s bipolar disorder will say horrible
things about you. But you will have
to stand up and not back down.<\/p>\n
Once the person is out of the episode
he\/she will thank you, like my mom
did and like so many other people
with bipolar disorder report to me.<\/p>\n
If you don’t you only hurt yourself and
the person. Eventually the person will come
out of his\/her episode and will have tons
of problems to deal with because you didn’t
stand up to bipolar disorder.<\/p>\n
I am sure that many people on this list
that are doing well, want a loved one to
stop them from destroying themselves or
the people around them. That’s part of being
a “good supporter.”<\/p>\n
Don’t fall into my dads ways and back down
to bipolar disorder.<\/p>\n
Another way you can stand up to bipolar
disorder is to get information on how
to effectively deal with it. That’s where my
courses\/systems come in. <\/p>\n
SUPPORTING AN ADULT WITH BIPOLAR DISORDER?
Visit:
http:\/\/www.bipolarsupporter.com\/report11<\/p>\n
SUPPORTING A CHILD\/TEEN WITH BIPOLAR DISORDER?
Visit:
http:\/\/www.bipolarparenting.com<\/p>\n
HAVE BIPOLAR DISORDER?
Visit:
http:\/\/www.survivebipolar.net<\/p>\n
If you haven’t gotten them, take a look.
People ask me all the time if the course\/system
covers this or that. For the most part it covers
virtually every problem a person will face because
my mom and our family had to face them all. <\/p>\n
Also I take it a step further and have solutions to
problems other people (generally the 8 to 10
that worked for me) had that we didn’t have
to face.<\/p>\n
I want to make a few more comments. Notice
I say “stand up to bipolar disorder” and write
my mom’s bipolar disorder said or did this
and that. Don’t think I am losing it or
out of my mind because I talk about bipolar
disorder as if it were a thing.<\/p>\n
I really think of it that way. I think of
bipolar disorder as something that is separate
from my mom. It’s a cunning thing that tries
to constantly create problems for me. I always
try to stay ahead of it.<\/p>\n
If you follow my line of thinking. It would want
nothing more than to be around a bunch of people
that never stand up to it.<\/p>\n
Imagine that bipolar disorder was a dictator
of a country and wanted to take over the world.
The dictator would want countries to simply
allow it to take over with no resistance.<\/p>\n
Okay I don’t want you to think I am totally out
of my mind so I hope you get the idea. I tell
you these things and concepts as odd as they may
seem because this is the kind of thinking that works
for not only me but so many other successful
people dealing with bipolar disorder.<\/p>\n
One last note, if you have bipolar disorder and
are stable, you can help yourself and your supporters
by signing a simply agreement that says something
like the following:<\/p>\n
“If I go into an episode, I give you permission
to stand up to my bipolar disorder and help me
prevent myself from doing self destructive things.”<\/p>\n
I know tons of people that have these type of
agreements. I have an agreement like this with
my mom.<\/p>\n
How does this help? Well if a person starts going
into an episode and you have the agreement, it gives
you the strength to stand up to bipolar disorder
easier and not second guess yourself.<\/p>\n
Okay I have to run to the gym. Catch you later.<\/p>\n
If you have stories of not standing up to bipolar
disorder or standing up to it, please post them
so others can read and learn. Or if you have
any other comments, please post them.
I can’t say this enough. <\/p>\n
Your Friend,<\/p>\n
Dave<\/p>\n
P.S. Don’t forget to take a look through the
different programs I’ve put together… each one is designed
to help you with a different area of bipolar disorder whether
you have it or you are supporting someone with it.
You can see them all and get the details by visiting:
http:\/\/www.bipolarcentral.com\/catalog.asp<\/p>\n
P.P.S. Check out my F.ree blog with copies of emails
that I have sent in the past and lots of great
information for you:
http:\/\/www.bipolarcentral.com\/supporterblog\/<\/p>\n
P.P.P.S Check out my F.ree podcast. Hear me give
mini seminars designed to teach you information
you can’t learn anywhere else.
http:\/\/bipolarcentral.libsyn.com<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
==Help with ALL aspects of bipolar disorder<\/p>\n