Hi,<\/p>\n
How’s it going? It’s 6:47am Monday July 19, 2007 and
I am writing you this email about something really
important.<\/p>\n
I was thinking of this concept because of
my move that has not gone to well. If
you are new to my list, I have been moving
over the last week or so and it’s been
kind of a disaster. <\/p>\n
I wrote an email the other day about how
I had incorrect expectations about how the
move would be easy and when I changed my
expectations I was less frustrated.
I indicated this is the same thing
with bipolar disorder. <\/p>\n
Many people expect that medication will
work right away, coping strategies
will work instantly, doctors will be falling
over themselves to help you or your loved
one with bipolar disorder, money will not
be an issue, things will fix themselves
right away. If you don’t know this already,
everything that I wrote is really the opposite
with bipolar disorder.<\/p>\n
I wrote this the other day. But today I want
to talk about another very important
concept–attitude. It makes all the difference.<\/p>\n
I notice that many bipolar supporters and caregivers
have horrible attitudes. I can understand why. If
you have been beaten down by a loved one’s bipolar
disorder for a long time, you may become: negative,
cynical, doubtful, skeptical, angry, hateful, resentful,
etc.<\/p>\n
But here’s the deal. The worst your attitude becomes
the more difficult it is to deal with a loved one’s
bipolar disorder. <\/p>\n
I can say this because I use to have a bad attitude
with my mom’s bipolar disorder. I was everything I
just described and more. <\/p>\n
But these days, I have a better attitude. My attitude
can be summed up with the following statement<\/p>\n
I hope for the best but plan for the worst.<\/p>\n
This concept has served me very well with bipolar
disorder.<\/p>\n
Let’s take a look at it. What does it mean to hope
for the best. Well that means I hope my mom does
great, never goest into another episode, her
bipolar disorder is nonexistent, it creates
no problems at all.<\/p>\n
But I plan that she will go into an episode, her
doctor may retire, her medications could stop
working, she may refuse to go into the hospital,
etc. I have a plan for the WORST case senarios.<\/p>\n
Some call me negative but this way works for
me and many other people. The alternative to
this is to hope for the best and plan for
the best things to happen.<\/p>\n
My dad kind of operated like this. He always
imagined that everything would just work out
like magic. I don’t know why but that’s how
he handled it. And it NEVER did.<\/p>\n
I speak to a ton of bipolar supporters and
many do the same exact thing. I use to preach
a warning sermon to them all but now I just
let it go. I tell them how I think and just
a simple warning how if you don’t think this
way. But I will tell you, if you don’t think
the way I do, I think it’s kind of be
really hard to be a supporter.<\/p>\n
Why? Well because bipolar disorder is tricky.
It’s like a cunning master con artist. It’s not
your loved one who is the manipulator it’s his\/her
disorder. And if you imagine a person that is a master
con artist, would you think everything would work
out just right?<\/p>\n
Also if you HAD to deal with a master con artist,
what kind of attitude would you have? You would
have to have one of acceptance and one of trying
to prevent the person from getting over on you.<\/p>\n
In my head, call me crazy, but I think of
everything this way. There is my mom and there
is my mom’s bipolar disorder. It’s her bipolar
disorder that’s the problem not her. It’s (bipolar
disorder) the enemy
and that’s what I focus on. I know it’s a slick
formidable enenmy that I have to stay on top
of.<\/p>\n
Does that make sense? Some might read this and
think I am out of my mind. I have lost it. Maybe moving
has made me finally lose it \ud83d\ude42 LOL.<\/p>\n
SUPPORTING AN ADULT?
Visit:
http:\/\/www.bipolarsupporter.com\/report11<\/p>\n
SUPPORTING A CHILD\/TEEN?
Visit:
http:\/\/www.bipolarparenting.com<\/p>\n
HAVE BIPOLAR DISORDER?
Visit:
http:\/\/www.survivebipolar.net<\/p>\n
Reread my email a few times. It does make sense. I am
not telling you what to do but consider what your attidue
is and how you handle being a supporter. <\/p>\n
I have to run now. Have a good day. Catch you tomorrow.<\/p>\n
Your Friend,<\/p>\n
Dave<\/p>\n
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.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":"
Hi,<\/p>\n
How’s it going? It’s 6:47am Monday July 19, 2007 and
I am writing you this email about something really
important.<\/p>\n
I was thinking of this concept because of
my move that has not gone to well. If
you are new to my list, I have been moving
over the last week or so and it’s been
kind of a disaster. <\/p>\n
I wrote an email the other day about how
I had incorrect expectations about how the
move would be easy and when I changed my
expectations I was less frustrated.<\/p>\n