Recovery Happens!

Recovery and You!

2012-11-09T07:32:00.000-08:00

This morning I want to talk about Recovery and how important it is. When I say the word "recovery" many people instantly assume I mean "cured". Which I don't mean. When I talk about recovery, I am referring to being able to get out of bed everyday and actually live a near as normal life as I can. I still have to get up and take my medication.

I have a mental illness, I know I will never be 100% cured as I have a brain disorder, but I can work around it and do anything I choose to do. One thing you always want to remember is what works for someone else may not work for you but you want to keep trying new things till you do find what works for you.

For me it was: self-help work, peer support, and changing my way of living.

Self-Help Work:

I began enrolling in programs that required me to do my own work. Some examples of this are WRAP (wellness recovery action planning), Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT) lots of reading, changing my thinking habits from always being negative to learning ho to be positive, and going to school plus holding down a full-time job.

Now there is a lot of self-help information out there so take a minute to find what works for you and go from there. But give it more than just a minute. After a week if it doesn't work for you, than move on to what does work for you.

Peer Support:

I didn't have anyone in my life who could offer me this, so I hunted it down on my own. After taking the class I found a job in Peer Support and low and behold did I not only help my clients, but it helped me as well. By me doing this job I was able to see the bigger picture out there and became the Assistant Director for the NC peer support Association (NCAPS), which now allows me to reach hundreds of people. So once I started learning how to take care of myself, I never stopped learning and I don't regret it for one moment.

Peer Support is not available in all area, so if you can't find a group, than start your own. Peer support does help you, even if you think it doesn't.

Changing my way of living:

By changing things in my life that do me no good, to things that do me good helped immensely. Every time I would start to think negative thoughts I would replace them with positive thoughts instead. That slowly turned my thinking around and before I knew it I was talking positive, thinking positive, and eventually doing positive things with my life. Changing also included what I listened too, and what I watched. By doing those two things I took all the negative out of my life and could concentrate on the positive instead. I also started taking vitamins, exercising, and eating healthier, all this combined added a great influence in my life.

Don't get me wrong, nothing is 100% perfect, but it is better than what it once was when I had no ambition, dreams, or desire to do anything. I now chose to do what I want, when I want too. So whats stopping you from trying new things in your life?

Gratitude List:

1) I am grateful for my recovery and finding what works for me.
2) I am grateful for the opportunities I have today!
3) I am grateful for being able to teach others how to find their recovery.
4) I am grateful for being able to wake up with a smile on my face and a lighter heart.
5) I am grateful for my puppies who help me smile everyday.

Dear Mental Illness

2012-08-31T11:24:00.000-07:00

A letter to my mental illness....

Have I ever told you how much I hate you? Yet I love you for just as many reasons.

Reasons I hate you:

1) You've taken some of my family from me

2) You've helped me ruin relationships in more than one way.

3) you've helped ruin my life in many ways: example, self-harm, theft, jail, and even by messing up in school.

4) You've helped me ruin the lives of many.

5) You've even helped me hold on to relationships that I shouldn't

6) You've help me forget who I am.

The reasons I love you:

1) You've helped me bring back some of my family

2) You've helped me make over 2000 friends in the last 2 years

3) you've taken my life in a whole new direction (Thank You!)

4) You've helped me see that I am not Hopeless and that I am a good person.

5) Thanks to you I have made some great friends in life and experience some amazing relationships

6) You've helped me see where I belong

7) You've helped me see who I am and who I want to be.

8) Because of you I can make someone's life a better place, as well as mine

9) Because of you I can see clearly where I was and where I need to be.

Needless to say, I am doing great where I am now, even with all of your short comings. That being said, there are still 2 people who I want in my world but they aren't, my son and my father. I need their support, yet don't have it, yet I am grateful for this in my life who are my support systems. If your reading this, you know who you are.

To date, I have started school and am almost on to my Junior year while maintaining a 4.0 (who would have ever thought? LOL), I have certificates to teach 5 different classes, and am currently working on 4 more, and will reach my goal of starting a recovery college at the rate I am going and I owe most of it to you my mental illness. Thank you for helping to push me to accomplish these tasks.

Today I am grateful for:

1) My recovery

2) my friends and the many more I will make.

3) My new life.

4) The ability to overcome my fears.

5) My friends going through recovery and them making it...

Being a Peer Support Specialist

2012-05-31T09:21:00.001-07:00

A few years back a wonderful job found me, it's called Peer Support. I had no idea what this position entailed nor did I even know how to go about finding this training. Then one day I ran across an advertisement for a class coming up to learn how to be a Peer Specialist, I was taken back.

Now to hunt down the man teaching the class and needless to say I did hunt him down. LOL. There was probably more then 10 calls a day and numerous emails asking to be in his class. It was while waiting to here back from him that I did all the research I could find and knew this was the job for me.

So after 20 plus years in the Restaurant Industry, I gave it up and walked into the unknown. Fear of the unknown is what stops many of us with a mental illness (and even without) from doing anything. But I knew that if I was ever going to get anywhere it was time to jump into the unknown. Jump I did and I am very glad I did as I never knew my life could feel as complete as it does now. Oh sure, there are still some things missing I am sure, however my life now makes sense as to where it didn't before.

For starters, I have learned that I can't nor do I need to save everyone. My dad and I have a very strained relationship. I have called monthly, sent him letters, ran up to Ohio when I heard he had a heart attack and then had to have surgery. If I would have to guess, I can honestly say my dad has depression and therefore has yet to want to come to reality that a child of his has a severe and persistent mental illness, let alone admit he has some form of one. I have tried is all I can say and I realized when I started this job that it is no longer up to me, but up to him. I can try and help, but I can't "fix" him. But yet I still adore my job knowing I can't fix or save everyone.

The position of being a peer support specialist has opened many doors for me: I have started going to college full-time to eventually become a psychologist, I have helped form a State-wide organization called the NC Association of Peer Specialists, started my own recovery education company (Recovery Can Happen), and have been trained in a variety of recovery concepts. Yes, my life seems full, but it's not. I still find the time to work as a Certified Peer Support Specialist, both on my own and for companies.

Yes, it is rewarding!

All to often we hear that people with a severe mental illness can't hold a job, they don't know how wrong they are. This is the perfect job. We get to teach people ways to help with their lives, get them motivated to find ways to live again, teach them interventions concerning self-esteem, hope, ways to rethink their negative thoughts, find resources that they may have never known about, and even maybe find them other services they might not have known about to get the help they needed. We do a lot more then that, but we show them what recovery is about through our own experiences.

All to often, when meeting a client, I hear them say" someday I want to be like you". Well, you can never be like me because you aren't me, but you can be similar to me and do what I do. Recovery is possible if you give it a chance.

Happy Blessings!

Where am I?

2012-04-05T07:53:00.001-07:00

My mind often wonders and I don't know what to do about it. How do I control it? Is it my Bipolar raging through or is it my Borderline playing games? These are things I wonder about daily as I wake up and realize I have nothing to do today and think about what I can get into to keep it busy. Everyday I look for things to research, complete, or even start. For I know if I don't do something to keep my mind occupied, I will do nothing but sit her and fret. Which is a no-no. Fretting gets me into trouble, trouble I don't want or need.

Currently I am trying to get my company off the ground, but all I see are dead-ends due to a lack of funding I don't have. Is it my mental illness that is blocking me or is it a lack of trying on my part? I don't see it as a lack of trying as that is all I primarily do from sun up to sun down is work on trying. Maybe I'm trying to hard. After all I see all these people doing what I want to be doing, but I just can't get there. Am I not opening my mind enough or maybe it is to open and I need to pick just one or two things and do it, finish them damn it.

Thats the problem with mental illness like Bipolar and Borderline Personality Disorder. Both illness are big about getting in over our heads, trying to please everyone, including ourselves. When in reality I know I have no one to please but me. But yet I try so hard to please everyone else instead, forgetting that I am the one crying out on the inside: "Help me, slow me down, walk beside me, hold my hand, tell me everything will be okay". When is it my time to have others guide me instead of me doing for them? All that sounds greedy, I know. However, in reality if you saw all I do for others without wanting in return, you'd see differently.

I have a big class coming up, am I nervous, no. I do these classes all the time. What I am nervous about is the money I'll be making. I know if I have that kind of money, I'll go on a spending spree and regret it later. Hell my mind is already racing at the thoughts of recovery books, classes, and programs I can get to teach. To teach, that to me is a funny phrase. I am already endorsed to teach 4 different classes and I can't raise enough people "to teach them to". Thats why I find it funny that I want to teach more subjects.

I have to remember that Recovery Can Happen if I get it together!

Lori

Mirroring

2012-01-16T16:23:00.000-08:00

For many years I liked whoever I was married to or dating liked. If they liked a certain food I liked it. If they liked certain people, I liked them as well. If they were upset, sad, or angry I was as well, same thing with being happy and so on. They cried, I cried, and the list could go on and on. It's called a "mirroring effect." You pick up on the people around you and act or like the things they do.

I had to find a way to break habit as it wasn't me. Eventually I would stop mirroring and start rebelling, which just created problems since the person I was with didn't understand where I was coming from or what was going on. I made it easy to leave or for them to walk away from me. Funny thing is, I noticed that I'm not the only one to do it. People with a mental illness have a tendency to want to please everyone or we run them off. Many of us though for the wrong reasons. We can't keep someone just because we are afraid to be lonely, nor can we simply mirror them to make them happy.

We need to be our own-selves. After all, we matter as individuals. Never stoop to please someone else by giving up your love for various things. Be that individual that you were born to be.

Some ways to stop:

1) never give up on yourself to make someone else happy.

2) just because the other in your life likes something, doesn't mean you have to like it also (unless of course you truly do like it).

3) try doing your own thing once in a while.

4) remind yourself your an individual, separate from your partner.

5) remember what you like and express it so that you never forget it.

6) learn to compromise.

7) look into self-esteem classes or groups

8) tell yourself every day that you are a unique individual

9) try it once and if you don't like it or aren't into it then let your partner know. honesty is the best policy.

10) every week, you and your partner try something new that neither of you have done before.

11) learn to recognize your own TRUE feelings and emotions.

Try a few of these ideas and if you find they work for you, keep trying them, if they don't then learn something new that works for you. After all we can't keep hurting ourselves in this manner. Remember, we are all each unique individuals who deserve a chance at a happy and long life. After all mirroring someone can drain us of our energy and freedoms.

Lori

Taking for granted...

2011-05-05T18:36:00.000-07:00

Well it has been over 4 months since I last wrote and I do apologize. My life has been extremely busy, causing me to forget where I started and that is here with my blogs. If it wasn't for my readers on any of my blogs, I wouldn't be where I am today. So thank you world.....

My recovery and peer support is going National. Starting in July I will be traveling to four different states teaching Peer Support training. If you'd like to know more please visit my training website at www.recoverycanhappen.com. Click on training and eduction and follow the link that is appropriate for your area.

This week I am in the middle of a training class and this class has brought the most tears to my eyes then any other class ever has. First I did a WRAP training and at the time, I didn't know it but I has three homeless guys in my class. Low and behold they showed up at my Peer Support training class and all I could think of was "how in the world are these guys going to do the impossible when they can't even help themselves". Well, they sure have surprised me this week! Not only have they gone above and beyond my expectations, but they have taught me something as well; courage and will. Courage to realize that no matter how bad my life gets, it is up to me to keep pushing forward and remember that someone is always worse off then I am. Will to keep moving forward in order to succeed in everything I set out to do.

These three gentleman are the sweetest men that you could ever meet. They showed up each day, did the required work (never asking anyone for anything), and graduated both classes. They all told me that I inspire them and oh boy what a feeling that is. What was even more amazing, was the way the class rallied around them. One guy picked them up for class and drove them home. Two other students made sure they got lunch each day and one guy even made sure one had the ensure that he knew the guy needed. This was truly an amazing class! Thank you all for the lessons learned this week. All I can say is that I truly learned what HOPE is this past eight days.

I will admit that I have been taking my success at what I am accomplishing for granted but after this week, I need to remember that it is my students that make me successful. Without them, I'd be no where. Thank you goes out to my Peer Support class of May 2011.

It's time I start doing my gratitude list again....

1) I am grateful for the people I teach Peer Support to
2) I am grateful for the lessons I learned this week.
3) I am grateful for the terrific support system that I have in place.
4) I am grateful for the opportunities that my mentor Robert has given me.
5) I am grateful for my job as a Peer Support Specialist!

Recovery 101

2010-12-31T11:24:00.000-08:00

Your at a crossroad with yourself and you want to be in Recovery, but have no idea how to go about it, yet even start. What do you do? Who do you turn to? Do you go join a group or do you talk to someone about your choices to be in Recovery?

The answer is: you look into yourself to make sure you are ready and you head off on a path that YOU direct. After all, only you know the correct path for You. No one can tell you how to do it, but they can aid you along in your journey.

So now your worried if you start this journey, whether or not you'll relapse. The truth is, you might but then again you might not. You find might the strength with in yourself to stay on your chosen path. However, if you do relapse, don't let it stop you from getting back up and continuing on down your new path. Think of a relapse as a way to move forward and learn from your mistake. Think of relapsing as a teachable moment for yourself. Just find the strength to keep pushing forward.

Some steps to help you while finding your path through recovery.

Admit to yourself that there is a problem and seek the help you need. Find someone to talk to, mentor you, join a NA/AA support group, find a peer ran support group, see a therapist or a psychiatrist. You can even talk to a Recovery Coach if you need to and can afford one. Now-a-days there are so many places online even where you can get help. If you go the self-help route though, please remember to stick to it, no matter how much better it feels giving up.
Change your thought process. Note that this does take time, so giving up is not the answer here. Instead of always thinking negative, start adding a few positive affirmations on a daily basis. Repeat them to yourself over and over a few times a day and eventually you will notice the negative thoughts slowly going away. Now keep in mind that this doesn't mean you will never have another negative thought, cause we all know thats just not possible in hard times or times of a crisis. So when you get those negative thoughts, work them out and if you can try repeating positive things to yourself. What you want to do is get into the habit of repetitive thinking, positive not negative.
Find new friends if you need to. You have your friends who will be supportive of you no matter what your dealing with, then you'll have your other friends. The ones that get pissed off at you because your no longer using, drinking, or wanting to be around negative people. These type of people are not your true friends no matter how much you think they are. The people that stick with you, encourage you to do well in your recovery are your true friends. They will stick by you through thick and thin. You relapse, they will help you recover. Sure the hardest thing you might have to do is tell some of your friends to back off so that you can get through this, but if they are a true friend, they will understand. If you need to, go make new friends. Easier said then done, right. However if you join a peer ran support group or join online communities that can pertain to what it is your going through, you'll be surprised at just how many friends you'll make that you can talk to who might just have similar issues to what your going through. I have 2 of the greatest friends (that I met online) in the world now thanks to others reaching out and me grabbing for it.

Learn something new. Such as a hobby or take a class that you have been meaning to and just haven't gotten around to doing. The point is, is that you want to keep yourself and your mind busy. Try blogging; even if you think no one is reading it, the truth is, is that they are. This is a great way to get out your frustrations, talk about things that may be bothering you, and you might be surprised at what you find yourself getting out of your system. For new hobbies; maybe you like cooking and haven't made fresh pasta or you want to learn to bake from scratch. Grab a new cookbook and go to town. Learn to paint, draw, design a webpage, or to knit. There is so much to do out there that surely you have yet to try everything.

Volunteer! Do you love animals or perhaps helping the elderly and maybe even working with kids? If so there are many volunteering opportunities out there that you would be able to join. Maybe you have a special skill, like cooking and want to volunteer at a homeless shelter, or your love for animals drives you to the humane society to help out. No matter what, there is something out there for everyone. The trick is just finding your niche and going for it. You can even volunteer at your local Library.
Learn about your illness. The better you know your illness the better you'll be able to handle it. Don't think just because you learned something one day that the next it will be the same. Things change on a daily basis and the more you know, the better your chances of not relapsing. Remember; knowledge is power!
Join a Recovery Learning Center, a Clubhouse, or a Peer ran Center. Through these types of places you can take classes that will aid you in maintaining your recovery as well as teaching you coping skills, living skills, and sometimes employment skills.

I can hear you now saying, but damn it Lori I tried all this crap. But did you truly give it a fair shot? By a fair shot I mean finding the strength to go or do more then once. You have to remember, what works for some might not work for others, thats why you have to find your own niche for recovery. I can't stress it enough; educate yourself. There is plenty of hope, recovery, and encouragement out there for everyone. Grab your share of it. You'll be glad you did!

Have Yourself a Mindful Merry Christmas

2010-12-12T09:25:00.000-08:00

While I normally write my own blogs. Every now and then I run across one that I want to share with everyone in hopes that it can help them as well. This just happens to be one of them as I am a firm believer in Dialectical Behavioral Therapy (DBT) and mindfulness. The article below is published by Medical News Today and can be found also on their website.

Published 01 Dec 2010 by Medical News Today

For many of us, the festive season around Christmas brings out our worst over-indulgent habits: we eat, drink and spend more than we would normally do, and regret it come New Year when we step on those scales, or the credit card bill lands on the doormat.

While it may not be desirable, or even realistic to aim for an indulgence-free Christmas, if you find yourself wishing that you could avoid some of the excesses, then perhaps consider having yourself a Mindful Merry Christmas.

The idea behind Mindfulness, which comes from Buddhism and is growing as a psychotherapeutic approach for stress reduction, pain management and behavior change, is to fix one's attention more on the "present moment", to perceive things as they really are, stripped of the labels, habits, and subjective thinking that they normally trigger.

Many of our actions in daily life are "mindless" responses to triggers that we have become habituated to. That is not to say that all these actions are undesirable. Take for example brushing our teeth, we do it almost without thinking, and although once in a while we should do it "mindfully", with our full attention, just to make sure the habitual brushing action is correct and finding all the right places, it is not causing us undue harm to do it mindlessly.

But there are also other actions that perhaps do cause us harm or we wish to do less of, because they have potential negative consequences for our health or our wallet.

This article suggest three "habits" that might benefit from a more mindful approach at Christmas time: Drinking, Eating and Shopping.

Mindful Drinking

For example you can be mindful when you drink. Take a sip and really taste the drink. Shut out the other senses for a few moments and concentrate on the flavor, the taste, the texture of the liquid as it passes your lips, dwells in your mouth, and sinks down your throat. When did you last do that?

When we drink mindfully, and bring awareness to the sensations that the drink brings us here and now, we drink more slowly and feel more satisfaction: so we drink less and enjoy it more.

But if we have a drink while our mind is on other things, like having a conversation, watching the TV, or thinking about tomorrow, we only have a fleeting awareness of the sensations brought by the drink, and we end up drinking more, in order to reach our desired level of satisfaction.

Mindfulness operates not just at the tactical level of the individual decision, but also strategically: by making us more aware of choices and decisions that we make in our everyday lives, which are often shaped by habitual thinking. This aspect of mindfulness is what Dr Jean L. Kristeller, a psychologist who specializes in applying mindfulness approaches to eating disorders, calls "wisdom functioning".

For example, consider the habitual, socialized nature of drinking during the festive season. Most of the time it is not our mind making a rational decision based on thirst that controls our drinking habits, it is automatic responses to social and environmental triggers ("fancy another one?", "how about a top up?", "try this one, you'll love it!", "why not?").

Applying the principles of Mindfulness to decision-making would cause you to pause and reconsider for a moment, the nature of the choices available to you here and now, and give you the opportunity to weigh them up, for instance, to ask yourself "do I really want this?" and to consider whether the consequences are worth it.

With respect to alcohol consumption, for instance, you may wish to consider this "top tip" for good mental wellbeing over Christmas, that Dr Andrew McCulloch, Chief Executive of the Mental Health Foundation in the UK, gave recently:

"The celebratory spirit of Christmas and New Year often involves social drinking and although the consumption of alcohol might make you feel more relaxed, it is important to remember that alcohol is a depressant and drinking excessive amounts can cause low mood, irritability or potentially aggressive behaviour."

"By not exceeding the recommended number of safe units, you will be better able to sustain good mental and physical wellbeing," he added.

Mindful Eating

Being mindful when you eat is about devoting your senses to the experience of eating. Beginners are often introduced to mindfulness techniques with the "raisin exercise".

The raisin exercise

Make sure you have about 20 minutes on your own when you won't be disturbed, and have a small bowl of raisins with you.
Pick up a raisin: put it in the palm of your hand, press it, look at it, examine it from all angles, see how it reflects the light, then squash it a bit between your fingers, explore its textures, colors, and smell.
Then put it in your mouth, gently roll it around and let the taste buds on your tongue slowly sense the raisin, without biting it.
Then, bite into it, and again, roll it around in your mouth, explore its taste and texture with your tongue.
Now chew it, slowly, and again, be aware with all your senses of the stage by stage transformation of shrivelled, dried up grape to the chewed morsel releasing its sweetness and flavor in your mouth.
Then, and only then, allow yourself to swallow it.
Imagine what is happening to the raisin as it travels down your gullet into your stomach, and then into your gut.

Designed primarily as an introduction to mindfulness-based ways of reducing stress, the "raisin exercise" also demonstrates how rarely we focus on "the present moment" when we eat. Like drinking, we eat "mindlessly".

Dr Brian Wansink, an expert in food psychology at Cornell University, where he directs the Cornell Food and Brand Lab, describes in his book "Mindless Eating: Why We Eat More Than We Think", how removed our appetites are from our eating habits.

He says we make about 200 food-related decisions every day, mostly triggered by a plethora of subtle cues in our environment that encourage us to keep eating, even when we are no longer hungry. These triggers include smells, the variety and color of foods on offer, the number of people we eat with, labels and packaging, and even the ambient lighting.

Wansink conducted a series of experiments, using labs disguised as restaurants, with concealed cameras and two-way mirrors, to show that in judging how much we eat, we tend to trust our eyes more than our stomach. In one rather amusing "bottomless soup bowl" experiment, soup bowls were imperceptibly and repeatedly refilled with small quantities of soup, with the result that the diners actually consumed much larger quantities than they thought.

Wansink's solution is to be mindful of what he calls the "mindless margin", where we mindlessly every day consume a few extra 100 or 200 calories here and there, without really thinking about it. And he points out that is how weight gain happens: gradually, year by year, we put on the extra pound or two.

So his advice, is, make yourself aware of your own mindless margin, and do something to shave off that daily extra 100 or 200 calories.

By being aware of your "mindless margin", you can shed 30 pounds in a year, says Wansink.

He advocates portion control, and making yourself more mindful of the difference between no longer feeling hungry and feeling full. If eating at home, use smaller plates, or at the restaurant, don't have three courses, have just two, and when you buy those bulk packs of snacks to save cost, split them into reasonable portions when you get home (read the label to check the calorie content).

Another way is to identify three "mindless habits" where you can reduce your consumption by 100 calories a day each, and practise eliminating them from your daily life. It takes about a month of concentrated effort to make the change stick, says Wansink, who suggests you keep track of your daily progress on a visible chart during that time so you can see what is actually happening rather than relying on memory.

Mindful Shopping

Shopping is another activity that we put as much thought into as we do to digesting our food, says Dr April Lane Benson, author of the book "To Buy or Not to Buy: Why We Overshop and How to Stop" . For many of us, shopping has become impulsive, recreational, spur-of-the-moment, and this is most evident at Christmas, when stores and malls are filled with people ready to fall victim to the habit of "mindless shopping".

As any marketing expert will tell you, persuading people to buy consumer goods is about pressing emotional buttons: "will that look good on me?", "my life would be so different if I just had this ...".

Yet in the current economic climate, perhaps now is a good time to be more mindful about what we buy, what we can afford to spend, and what is really controlling our urge to purchase and how that compares with what really matters to us.

The pressures to overshop are everywhere, says Benson, a psychologist who specializes in the treatment of compulsive buying disorder. And the opportunities to do so are greater than ever: you don't even have to leave your home, as well as catalogue shopping we now have Internet shopping.

Benson says the way to make shopping succeed for you is to plan your shopping trips. In chapter 4 of her book she describes a very useful method for mindful shopping called the "Daily Weigh-In". This is where you itemize your shopping expenses and assign each item a "Necessity score". This helps keep track of shopping expenditure in a way that prioritizes rather than just records the amounts spent. It's a reality check of your spending habits.

You can also do the necessity scoring before you shop. Before each shopping trip, make a list of the things you intend to buy, and then review the list and give each item a necessity score. If the item seems "completely unnecessary", then give it a zero. If it's "somewhat" necessary, give it a third, if it's "very necessary", two-thirds, and if it's "essential", give it a 1. Now look at the list again, with the scores, and reconsider carefully the low-scoring items.

Benson suggests you also decide beforehand where you are going to shop, how long for, who you will shop with, whom you will be shopping for, and last but not least, what your affordable budget should be.

As well as this strategic method, Benson has some tactical mindfulness tips for when you are in the shop and have actually picked up an item. Before you place it in the basket, she suggests you ask yourself six questions to bring your attention into mindful awareness of the act you are about to commit:

Why am I here?
How do I feel (good, bad, uncertain, guilty, sad, frustrated, etc)?
Do I need this (how much would it score on the necessity index)?
What if I wait?
How will I pay for it?
Where will I put it?

Everyday Midnfulness

You can also apply mindfulness to other aspects of everyday life. Even if you just stop now and again and give yourself a few minutes of stillness: sit down in a chair, quietly close your eyes, with your hands resting in your lap, and open your senses. What do you hear, smell, feel? Observe also the incessant internal chatter of the mind. Notice the individual thoughts, without judging whether they are good or bad, whether you should be having them or not. Just observe.

As Henepola Gunaratana, a Sri Lankan Buddhist monk, explains in his book "Mindfulness in Plain English", mindfulness is quite different to how we go about our everyday existence. We don't notice what is really in front of us:

"We see life through a screen of thoughts and concepts, and we mistake those mental objects for reality. We get so caught up in this endless thought-stream that reality flows by unnoticed. We spend our time engrossed in activity, caught up in an eternal flight from pain and unpleasantness. We spend our energies trying to make ourselves feel better, trying to bury our fears. We are endlessly seeking security. Meanwhile, the world of real experience flows by untouched and untasted."

Have yourself a Mindful Merry Christmas.

Sources:
Jean L. Kristeller (2003); "Finding the Buddha/Finding the Self: Seeing with the Third Eye"; Chapter 5 of Encountering Buddhism: Western Psychology & Buddhist Teachings Seth Robert Segall (Ed); State University of New York Press, Albany, NY.
Mental Health Foundation (UK) press release 22/11/10
Brian Wansink (2006); Mindless Eating: Why We Eat More Than We Think; Bantam Books, New York, NY.
April Lane Benson (2008); To Buy or Not to Buy: Why We Overshop and How to Stop; Trumpeter Books, Boston, MA.
Henepola Gunaratana (2002); Mindfulness in Plain English, Updated and Expanded Edition; Wisdom Publications, Somerville MA.

Written by: Catharine Paddock, PhD
Copyright: Medical News Today
Article URL: http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/209760.php
Main News Category: Psychology / Psychiatry
Also Appears In: Anxiety / Stress, Obesity / Weight Loss / Fitness, Nutrition / Diet,

Dear Diagnosis....

2010-12-10T07:09:00.000-08:00

I found this letter on Inspire.com and felt it needed to be shared. It is wonderful and encouraging and powerful that someone can find the strength to write this and put it out for everyone to see. Thank You JJ for sharing it!

Dear Diagnosis,

At first all I could think about was finding out what you were. Someone once said, "Name it, frame it, contain it." As if it were that simple. If it were a sinus infection, maybe it would hav been different.

If you were something I could take one pill for, and be "cured" then I'd have been thrilled to get you. But really, the word diagnosis, is just saying, "Okay, I am not crazy-there is something wrong." And that has value, more than any non-sick person can imagine (We're going to call them NSP's). But it was a NSP who coined the term "Name it, frame it, contain it."

Some of it is true. But life is rarely that simple. And neither are:

lupus
MCTD
Non-Hodgkins Lymphoma, 2B-cancer FREE
AS
SPS (With a titer that is 18 below qualifying for Ig)
Osteoarthritis
AVN
Chronic MRSA

The problem with you, diagnosis, is that you guys keep piling up. One leads to another. Or the treatment for one diagnosis leads to another diagnosis.

Why can't you leave me alone? I am so tired of the days when I can hardly move that I am so exhausted. Where it is all I can do to scoop out the cat box. Or run the dishwasher, carry out the trash. And then the doctor wants me to come and see her twice in one week. And the specialist says, "Oh, yes, we want you to travel 35 miles on the bus from your home in the thunderstorm to come and see us, and now I guess I don't know if I am writing this to the diagnosis, treatment, or the people who are treating me.

I am tired of being told tht I "don't look sick." Or that "I dont see anything wrong, so there must not be.

Diagnosis, you can be elusive, or you can be obnoxiously obvious.

Burt I am tired of living my life with YOU at the c enter of how I function. Granted there will probably always be some bit of me that has to let you have the mic, so to speak, but this is it. I am taking my life back. You can't have it any more, and my life is mine. I should have never let you have so much power over me.

GOD is the one who has that kind of ower. And the days when the pain you cause me is getting the best of me.

I am angry with myself-I gave you the best years of my life. I want a family, and I waited because of you. I gave myu son up at 16 because he was too sick, and I could not take care of him the way he needed or deserved-I lacked the resources.

But I don't have to never have a family because of a list of diagnoses. I can have a life. I can have happiness, I can have loving friends (most of all), and a man in my life who loves me-I may not now-but the possibility doesn't have to be excluded because he might find me "damaged goods" or "unattractive" because of surgery scars. If he does, he's not the one.

But GOD is the ONE. He will be the TRUE father to any child I adopt (I've had a hysterectomy-had to), and I know that I can be a good, caring, and loving mommy.

So, Diagnosis, you can take it and go fly a kite. I am moving on with my life. You are going to take a backseat, not a frontseat. I wish you the best-go ruin someone else's life. I hope they will be smarter than I have been and not let it continue as long as I did though.

Sincerely,
JJC

Mindfulness Therapy Works for Depression

2010-12-08T05:21:00.000-08:00

Published December 07, 2010 by| LiveScience

Meditating daily and being mindful of life events that make you happy or sad may be as effective as taking medication to prevent a relapse of depression, a new study suggests.

By undergoing what is called mindfulness-based cognitive therapy, people can learn how to meditate and pay attention to emotional triggers, said study

researcher

Zindel V. Segal, of the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health in Canada.

"When you do that, you gain better control over cognitive emotions that can trigger relapse without you being aware of it," Segal told MyHealthNewsDaily.

Antidepressants provide chemicals that impact brain regions involved in depression. Research shows that only about 40 percent of people in remission for depression adhere to their medication regimen, Segal said.

The new finding suggests that mindfulness therapy could be used as a substitute for or addition to medication, Segal said. However, "if someone is on an antidepressant, coming off needs to be decision made with a health care professional," he said.

The study was published in the December issue of the journal Archives of General Psychiatry.

Effects of reflection

Researchers studied 84 people ages 18 to 65 who had taken medication to treat their depression over an eight-month period, and were in remission. The researchers divided them into three groups: one continued taking medication, one underwent mindfulness-based cognitive therapy and one had their medication slowly replaced by a placebo.

"All of these patients received treatment through a hospital, so this is something that was conducted with mental health professionals keeping track of them continuously to detect possible relapse," Segal said.

After 18 months, 38 percent of people who'd learned to meditate had relapsed, according to the study. Forty-six percent of people in the medication group relapsed, and 60 percent in the placebo group relapsed.

Because of the way the results were analyzed statistically, researchers could not conclude whether the difference between the meditation and the medication groups was due to chance, Segal said. But they could show the improvements in both of those groups over those taking the placebo was not due to chance.

The mindfulness therapy consisted of eight weeks of group training sessions, during which patients learned how to monitor their thinking patterns. They were taught to change their automatic reactions to triggers for sadness, and instead use those times as an opportunity to reflect on their feelings, Segal said. They were also taught to come up with an action plan with strategies for coping with early signs of relapse.

After the training sessions, the patients were required to set aside about 40 minutes a day for meditation and mindfulness exercises, he said.

"If you had depression triggers," Segal said, you might turn your attention instead to the fact that "you enjoy eating your food, and that you walk outside and it's a bright sunny day."

Seeing results

Mindfulness-based cognitive therapy can be a good alternative to medication for multiple reasons, Segal said. Although the therapy sessions cost money, the maintenance after those sessions - daily meditation and being mindful of depression triggers - doesn't cost a dime, he said. Maintenance medication, on the other hand, is an ongoing expense.

Pregnant women and people who don't like the side effects or don't want to constantly be on medication may also want an alternative to maintenance antidepressants, said Elizabeth Robinson, an assistant psychiatry professor at the University of Michigan, who was not involved in the study.

By teaching someone a new skill, they have something they can carry over with them, "whether they continue taking medication or not," she said. Robinson teaches mindfulness-based cognitive therapy classes in Michigan and sees results in her students first-hand.

"What you see with people is they take a different look, their perspective on their personal experience shifts," she said.

Beyond dealing with depression, meditation can help people find different ways of navigating relationships, Robinson said.

Mindfulness-based cognitive therapy is only available in large cities or places with large medical presences. Segal is researching ways to make the therapy available to people in remote communities, possibly over the Internet.

Pass it on: Health care providers could provide information about meditation as an option to their patients who don't want to continue taking antidepressants to prevent relapse, a new study suggests.

Encouragement and Hope

2010-12-06T08:47:00.000-08:00

Your alone and depressed. You don't have an idea what to do with yourself and your afraid you might do something stupid (or you assume what you want to do is stupid). But in reality your not alone. There are millions of people out there who have felt or are feeling the same exact way that you are right now. The difference? Is how you deal with it.

For many people they get over issues fast, but do they really? Could it be that they are just better at hiding things from everyone? No matter how much you think they are over something, the truth is they aren't. They have yet to deal with the issues that are bothering them and eventually they will be in the same position again.

Find things to do that will aid you in over coming your issues....

Talk to someone who understands you but isn't going to validate everything you say or do. When you find someone who will validate everything that is going on in your life, they are just enabling you to sit and fester as you think about it.
Join a Support Group. There are basically support groups for everything under the sun out there now, from drugs to shopping to bullying to eating. We all need a support system in place and what better way to find one then from those who are going through the same thing that you are.
Learn to let go. People with a mental illness have a harder time processing and letting go of information. But you have to learn to let go of what is hurting you so that you can move forward. You don't need all that excess baggage tearing you a part. That is what truly holds you back, your ability to not let go and push forward.
Forcing yourself. Sometimes you need to force yourself to move forward. Once you have done this a few times a week, you'll find your self doing it more and more often. I don't want to get out of bed most mornings, but I find that when I force myself to, I feel so much better about myself then I would if I had stayed in bed and not done my school work or not gone to this or that appointment.
Find a new challenge. Looking for a new and exciting challenge can help put you in a different frame of mind. Look for something outside of your normal interest range. Look at things that you would never even think of doing, then go for it. You might just find that you love doing this new challenge.

We all need hope and some of us find it in the strangest places. Some people find it in helping animals, some find it in cleaning, some find it in doing school work, for some it's reading a good book or self help book, some find it in looking up at the sky, others find it in watching other people. No matter where you find your hope keep a hold of it.

This past week, I found some of my hope in a group of 23 people. I went with another trainer and helped train 21 people to become Peer Support Specialists. This group showed so much enthusiasm for Recovery that it was amazing. I have never seen so much love in one room. They showed inspiration, hope, courage, and even gave me new ideas. They made me feel good about myself, they told me how I had inspired them, and they even shared their stories with me. Thank you all!

The point is that no matter what find your hope to help pull you through even the smallest of obstacles, you deserve it and ARE WORTH IT!

Self Harm. Why we do it and ways to stop.

2010-11-27T13:53:00.000-08:00

A lot of people with mental illnesses self harm. We do it to release the pain that is in our minds. As a self harmer I often wonder why it has all of a sudden become a national past time with the younger generation being as once you start, you have an even harder time stopping. Cutting has fallen into the hands of our teenagers and even younger generation. Many do it just because they saw someone else do it so they thought they would try it. Many do it because they are truly in pain and feel they need an outlet and cutting gives them that outlet.

But how do you tell who needs the help and who is just trying to fit in by acting like their friends?

A troubled cutter cuts uncontrollably and deep. Someone who is cutting because their friends do it will make scratches here and there.

Self mutilation has become a such a big new trend not just in America, but around the world. Because many people feel it is just a trend, no one knows how to help people who cut, burn, or harm themselves in other ways. Some families hide it, brush it under the rug. Some throw their kids to the therapist while still ignoring that their child has a problem. So what exactly is the right thing to do to get your loved one the help they need?

Self mutilation is no joke and should be taken very seriously. While we don't intend to kill ourselves, some accidently cut to deep and end up taking their own lives. Where do we draw the line at how to help one another? Do we shove people into therapy, forgetting about their aftercare? Do we walk on egg shells so not to make people harm themselves? Do we tell the person they are stupid for doing it and ignore them? Do we brush it a side and not take a second glance at it? No, we don't do any of these things. Instead we stand up for them and get them the help they need; being there with them every step of the way.

For those of us who self-harm, it's not just about the cutting. It comes down to the feeling, the burning, the bleeding, the needing, the cleaning up, the scars, the healing, it all comes down to FEELING. The feeling that we are alive, the fact that we can have emotions, and the fact that we can feel. We need these emotions to remember we are real, that we aren't just our pain.

I quit cutting 6 years ago and I still struggle with it each and everyday. There are days when the urge to cut is so great that I keep a box of razors where I can see them to remind myself that I don't need to do it. I have a system in my house, 1) when I start thinking about cutting I take one out of the box and carry it everywhere I go, 2) when the urge becomes stronger I tell someone I have them, 3) when the urge becomes to great I turn the blade over to someone who I can trust to get rid of it properly. Now I know I could come back and use another one if I wanted to but I don't. If I need to still cut, I go through the process all over again.

Instead of cutting yourself, try a few of these different techniques.

Cut a piece of paper
Hammer a nail into a piece of wood
Cut up or hammer a piece of fruit
Draw or color uncontrollably
Throw balls at a wall
Write everything that comes to your mind, not caring if it's perfect or worded right
Exercise to your hearts content
Play with an animal
Take something non-sharp and run it across your skin like you would a razor
Tell yourself you can do this and resist the urge to cut, rewarding yourself instead.

We all need inspiration. It's what you choose to do with yours that determines whether or not you cut. Only you can make that choice. Try to take one less cut a day. Then the next day take one less cut, and so on till one day you notice your not cutting anymore. Tell yourself your tired of not just the physical pain, but the mental pain your putting yourself through as well. There are other ways to go about not cutting. Find someone you know you can trust and talk to them about your pain and anger or whatever issues are bothering you enough to make you cut. We all need help at some point from some where, so please find yours.

Remember, Recovery Can Happen!

Love and Happiness with a Mental Illness

2010-10-31T11:42:00.000-07:00

Those of us with a mental illness have a tendency to love to much or to little. We haven't learned how to truly find the happiness that we deserve instead we always settle for what we get or what we feel we deserve. They tell us to love ourself, but those of us with a mental illness rarely have the strength to love ourselves, let alone someone else. So where do we find the strength?

I've finally (let me rephrase that, "i think I've finally") learned the answer on how to love myself. Repetition! By giving myself self talks and learning to believe in what I'm telling myself I have learned to love myself for the first time in my life. It was a very long and very hard process, but I was able to do it when I had NO faith in myself.

I know many of you are saying; "that's you, not all of us can do that."

Stop doubting and start believing in yourself. You are all better then that! Don't live in your disease, don't live in your past, and never forget your better then all those put together.

The way we go about getting our mind to think things over and over is by repeating things to yourself that are meaningful and encouraging. Find something to tell yourself a few times a day, the trick though is not to make negative comments, have negative thoughts, or do negative actions. Yes I know it's hard not to do these things while we have a mental illness but we have to overcome it at some point, otherwise how do we expect to start to feel better?

No one is better at destroying our relationships then us. We either love to much or love to little, yet we hang on to what we got because we feel that we can't get anything better then what we currently have. When we do have a great relationship, those of us with a mental illness self destruct, ruining what possibly could have been the best relationship we have ever found. I know, I destroyed 2 wonderful relationships where I always felt they wanted something better then me because I had no self esteem and didn't think either of them truly loved me.

Find strength in yourself to do the right thing; if your in a crappy relationship and your only holding on because you think you can't get anything better or if your self destructing please do the right thing and inform the person your with what is going on with you then you might just be surprised at their reaction.

Take pride in yourself and what you do. Learn to love yourself and you'll see the difference in how your mind works. You'll start to feel pride and joy in your actions and thoughts. You'll have strength to believe in yourself. Be repetitious in your thoughts, positive thinking, and your actions. Be positive!

Start small, make lists and hang them up where you'll see them, look in the mirror and tell yourself truthful amazing things about yourself, find something that is a constant bright spot in your life, spend time looking up at the stars.

There are a million ways that you can start to feel better about yourself, the choice is to find one that makes you happy. Start pleasing yourself, not everyone else.....

Thinking Positive....

2010-10-03T08:47:00.000-07:00

We all hear someone telling us to think positive instead of negative at some point in our lives. For the most part I thought it was B.S. My answer to that when someone would say it to me was always, "you try living in my shoes and then come back and tell me you could think positive." Wrong answer I know, but at the time I liked it.

When I started really getting into my own recovery and started thinking positively, I began to notice things. Such as if I was thinking positive then ideas would happen, if I was thinking negative then negative things would happen. One thing I never thought about was why bad things kept happening to myself and it took me playing games to finally figure it out.

I could be online playing in a game room, be defeating everyone, and then crash my game time and winning streak would go down the drain! When I began to realize what was going on, I started to take notice around me. I noticed if I had my school work or my paperwork for work done then I would win. If I didn't have that kind of stuff done, I'd lose.

So was it because of the positive actions that I had done prior to playing those video games or was it just skill?

Then I began trying it with other things in my life. Such as the support group I started at work. As long as I stayed positive about it and encouraged people to come to it, they did, and all my consumers enjoyed it. If I didn't encourage them, they didn't come. Again, fate or negative planning?

Out of all the experiments that I have tried, (I hate to admit it when I'm wrong BTW. LOL), but the positive thinking and positive actions does really work compared to thinking in the negative and doing negative actions.

Another thing I have noticed is when I'm around negative people it's bad for me. Negative things then start working their way back into my life, which for me seems to be harder to deal with as opposed to me being the negative one. Mainly I think because I have to keep my mouth shut so that I don't say or do something I'll regret. I have come to realize that not everyone is happy or positive 100% of the time and many people fake it which again puts off bad auras.

We can all have positive thoughts, turn a negative into a positive, and look at the world as an encouraging place to be. We don't need the negative, unless we choose to be unhappy.

Some tips to thinking positive:

1) Make yourself a list of POSITIVE daily affirmations to say to your self.
2) Look in the mirror as you say them and actually believe them.
3) Find something to smile about each day, no matter how simple it is.
4) Try turning a negative thought into a positive thought.
5) Think of everything in a positive manner instead of in a negative way.
6) Take each step one day at a time and think them through before you take them.

Try them, you might find they actually work. One thing though, you have to try them more then once. LOL. You have to be persistent with your thoughts and actions.

Good Luck and Positive Thinking......

Say hello to Someone you don't know day! Inspiration and Sadness...

2010-10-01T18:50:00.000-07:00

****Note. While this is not a consumer of mine I felt it best to get permission from him to publish this on my blog, he agreed to it, but asked that I not use his real name. So I will call him Harry....*****

What an awesome inspiring day I have had. A few weeks ago I posted an event on facebook called "say hello to someone you don't know day". Many of my friends got involved with it and so did many people I don't know. Roughly 50 people said they would do it. So I started my day with a bang!

I chose a corner in downtown Durham where I knew many homeless people hung out due to the fact that there are also just as many business people. So more then likely the homeless hang out there in hopes of making a buck or two, but that's not what I was about today. Today was my day to make someone smile and hopefully feel better about themselves. So off to make someone smile Rev and I went. (BTW, Rev is my 2 year old lab mix).

We sat there saying hello to people, Rev first barking and making them walk away from us but he eventually calmed down and began wagging his tail at people instead. Rev ended up with many head pats. Back to the story.....

People smiled at me after I told them hello and good morning, some even said hello back. However this one guy caught my eye. He had been sitting down the street from us watching me and my pup when he eventually decided to come down and see what I was doing. I told him hello and good morning, he smiled and replied the same way as I said it. He went on to let Rev get to know him before he started petting him. I'll call him Harry (for confidentiality issues). Harry sat down next to me and placed this rumpled and ragged backpack between us. You could tell Harry was homeless or close to it by the way he was dressed, overly baggy clothing, un-kept hair and face, two miss-matched shoes and no socks. Being as we are in NC it is still kind of hot but I still thought nothing of it. Harry and I started talking about what I was doing and was actually intrigued enough to start doing it with me. In between Harry and I saying hello we started talking about our lives. I told him some of my story (leaving out the extra crap I have yet to really open up about) and he started telling me ALL of his. I asked Harry if he minded me asking very personal questions and he responded for me to go right a head. First thing I asked him was how he became homeless.

Harry opened his bag and took out a bottle of water that you could tell had been refilled many many times and a photo album. Harry handed the album to me and as I looked through it, he shared his bottle of water with Rev, (I thought that was the greatest thing in the world). As I was asking him about the people in the photo album you could see his eyes tearing up. "They are my family," he said. By the way he looked and made that statement, I knew something was wrong with his family. Harry went on to explain that his wife and three children were all gone. He told me that they had been driving along at night and were side swiped by a drunk driver, their car rolled off the road and slammed into a tree, killing all four of the passengers. Harry told me after that his life went down hill.

Harry lost his job at a fortune 500 company (and still had his id badge to prove it), began drinking and doing drugs, became anti-social, and lost his home. All because he refused to get help for his grievance and depression. Harry told me that while it has been almost 5 years now since they passed, he has been homeless now for almost 3 years. I had to hug Harry, his story hurt, not just him, but me as well. Harry accepted my hug.

I asked Harry what his plans for the future are. Harry stated he had no plans and lives day by day. I then asked him what it is that he does each day and he told me he looks for ways to try and make money to support his drinking and drug habit. I asked him if he had any intentions of sobering up and he stated someday he might like to. Harry asked me what I do for a living since he said I sounded like a shrink, I replied, close, and went on to tell him that I am a Peer Support Specialist in Mental Health and Substance Abuse, Harry started laughing. I gave him one of my business cards and told Harry he could contact me day or night if he needed someone to talk to. He acted like I had just handed him a million bucks. I thought that was so cool.

Harry noticed me pondering and wanted to know why I seemed so surprised and when I told him why I was wondering, Harry replied that he has no friends, so there for no one to talk to. Until I came along. At this point Harry and I had been talking about an hour and still saying hello to people as they walked by. Harry told me he had never opened up to anyone the way he did with me.

I bought Harry and myself something to drink and we sat there talking for probably another hour before we parted ways. In all honesty, I was expecting Harry to ask me for money. After all most homeless people are panhandlers. Not once did Harry ask me for money or anything else. I have to say that I learned a lot today.

I learned that not all people want something regardless of their situation. I learned that even the worst happens to the best people. I learned that there are those worse off then me. I learned that I can have compassion for those still using substances and not give them a off the deep end lecture. I learned that people loved the fact I was just sitting there saying hello to them and many of them smiled at me.

The biggest thing I learned is just how big my goals and ambitions are and that sometimes we all need someone else to help us regardless of the places they come from.

Harry left me about 2 hours after our conversation started. We hugged, I told him to keep in touch and call me anytime he needed someone to talk to and he promised he would. Thankfully I know which shelter he is using so that I can go check on him since I know most people with substance abuse issues and heavy mental health issues don't really keep their word, and Harry is someone I definatly want to get to know better.

Harry needs some very intensive treatment and I let him know of a few places he could go to get it, but I want to be there for him as we all need friends. For me, not only did I do what I set out to do with my project, but I met and made friends with a homeless person who I know I will see again someday.

To all the people out there in the world like Harry; I wish you all the best, stay safe, and remember that your an awesome person with great potential!

That time of year again....

2010-09-20T14:11:00.000-07:00

Do the changing of the leaves bother you? The darker skies of winter torment you? Do you get more depressed during the darker months then you do anytime of the year? If so you may suffer from Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD). Appropriately named don't you think so? The reason I ask is because many of us do and have no idea that it is an actually mental issue. I personally suffer from it, but for me it's when the seasons are bright and beautiful with the sun shining and everything bright green.

Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD) is a form of depression that occurs in relation to the seasons, most commonly beginning in winter.

Symptoms:

Afternoon slumps with decreased energy and concentration
Carbohydrate cravings
Decreased interest in work or other activities
Depression that starts in fall or winter
Increased appetite with weight gain
Increased sleep and excessive daytime sleepiness
Lack of energy
Slow, sluggish, lethargic movement
Social withdrawal

While we can't do anything about the seasons, there are things we can do to keep ourselves aligned and focused. Unfortunately they are pretty much in the same manner as the rest of the treatments for depression that are available to us.

Treatments:

Light Therapy
Medications
Being outdoors
Talk Therapy
Light systems that turn your room lights on like the sun was coming up each morning
CBT or Cognitive Behavior Therapy
Supplementation of the hormone Melatonin
Personally I find writing helpful during this time
Talking to friends
Joining support groups

Not much is known about SAD, nor have they been able to come up with a 100% positive treatment that works. It is mainly up to you to find what works best for you and stick to it. Make sure whatever you use to stay healthy and sane in the winter, that you develop a WRAP plan and stick to it when you need to. It can become a lifesaver in a dark time of need and I know this for a fact.

Try talking to your friends, invite them over for a weekly dinner to keep your spirits up. An even better idea is to start a weekly or monthly dinner round table where to go to one anothers home for a potluck and spend the evening shooting the breeze with your friends. Joining a book club, coupon club, go to the library for some of their various program. The idea is to stay busy and keep your mind from wondering.

Random Musings

2010-09-19T20:16:00.000-07:00

Everyday we all find something or someone that makes us feel so great but we don't know how to accept it. The you have the ones in your life who make you feel terrible, but yet we choose the terrible over the good. Why is this? Do we not feel we are worthy of the greatness in our life that has been shown to us? Do we not feel that we can be loved the right way? Why do we feel we need the negative in our lives in order to survive?

The answer are simple. We are all great, we just need to find our path. We don't need to feel terrible about ourselves, after all we are only human and we all have greatness inside of us, just let it out!. Every one can have love and not bad love either. Be happy, find your strengths, find something that makes you and you alone happy! Don't worry about those around you, be yourself. I had to learn the hard way to be myself.

When you leap with faith - rather then huddling in a corner, inactive and incapacitated with fear - others can begin to help you. When you move forward, others can also move forward to help you on your way.

To get out of a situation that is trapping you and is not working, you have to leap, taking a spontaneous chance to move forward to a whole new world - and leap with the faith that you will land on your feet.

Late Bloomers:

The lateness isn't merely a consequence of the inevitable passage of years and decades. Rather it has to do with the moment in time at which we discover, whether through an event dictated by forces outside ourselves or by a seemingly spontaneous personal insight, some worthy means of fulfilling ourselves... what are late bloomers?

They are people who at whatever cost or whatever circumstances have succeeded in finding themselves.

"Including my own"

I was passive in my own life. I was stuck in in a rut and knew I had to change. The habit of the familiar - even if it meant failure - was stronger then any effort of putting extra energy into finding a new path. I had to find my own strengths, I had to accept the failures, I had to change the way I was headed.

Recovery Plans

2010-09-09T07:05:00.000-07:00

Together we can overcome ANYTHING!

One of the biggest parts of a persons recovery is your recovery plan. This shows you what you have done that has worked for you in the past just in case you might relapse.

Your recovery plan should include but is not limited to:

What it looks like to you when your well.
A daily maintenance plan that shows you what you need to do each day to maintain your wellness.
You need to know what your triggers are. What sets you off into a depressive episode or a manic episode. What makes you want to over eat, under eat, self mutilate, that drink or that crack pipe?
A list of contacts and their roles in your life so that they can be called upon to help you.
A list of your medications and supplements.
Anything you maybe allergic to that would be of use to the hospital or crisis center.
The numbers to your doctors.
Anything else you might find useful to those helping you during your crisis.

All these are very important when it comes to your health and well being. Other options you might choose to do instead of a wellness plan is:

Keep a journal
Write a blog
Make a video
Make a wellness CD of music you need to hear
Record yourself talking about your recovery
Make a visual board of things that remind you to stay well
Help someone else

Whatever it is you choose to do, keep in mind that your in charge of your own recovery. No one can tell you that your doing it right or wrong. No one can control your life but you. You deserve this!

HAPPY RECOVERY!

True Friends

2010-08-31T15:35:00.000-07:00

What is one thing you need the most in your recovery process? A awesome support team who will be there with you through thick and thin!

Sometimes you can sense how much someone really cares, by how much they listen to you. A good friend is important in your recovery. They are there when you need them, they listen when you need a shoulder, and they can be there to guide you. One thing you must remember though; in order to have a friend, you have to be a friend. Never lose perspective of your friendship and never violate that friendship by being dishonest or not being the friend you want in return.

Just having someone to talk to throughout your recovery can be a huge relief! A friend can show through word and deed that your not a bad person, but instead that your just another person who has problems. Everyone seems to feel their problems are worse then the next person. That they don't have a life worth living, when the reality is that everyone has a life worth living, you just have to find yours.

Everyone has strengths they don't even think about and a true friend will help you remember yours. You have to be open to finding your strengths. You have to be open to new ideas and your own recovery. Find a true friend, find your strengths, and help find yourself.

I believe in all of you! I believe that together we CAN overcome any obstacle that we feel is in our path!

Bipolar Support and Self-Help

2010-07-31T13:54:00.000-07:00

Bipolar Support and Self-Help

LIVING AND COPING WITH BIPOLAR DISORDER

Although bipolar disorder tends to be a lifelong, recurrent illness, there are many things you can do to help yourself. Beyond the treatment you get from your doctor or therapist, there are many things you can do to reduce your symptoms and stay on track, including educating yourself about bipolar disorder, surrounding yourself with people you can count on, and leading a healthy “wellness” lifestyle.

You’re not powerless when it comes to bipolar disorder. With good coping skills and a solid support system, you can live fully and productively and keep the symptoms of bipolar disorder in check.

Living with bipolar disorder: What you can do to help yourself

Living well with bipolar disorder requires certain adjustments. Like recovering alcoholics who avoid drinking or diabetics who take insulin, if you have bipolar disorder, it’s important to make healthy choices for yourself. Making these healthy choices will help you keep your symptoms under control, minimize mood episodes, and take control of your life.

Managing bipolar disorder starts with proper treatment, including medication and therapy. But there is so much more you can do to help yourself on a day-to-day basis. The daily decisions you make influence the course of your illness: whether your symptoms get better or worse; whether you stay well or experience a relapse; and how quickly you rebound from a mood episode.

Bipolar Disorder: Key Recovery Concepts

Hope. With good symptom management, it is possible to experience long periods of wellness. Believing that you can cope with your mood disorder is both accurate and essential to recovery.
Perspective. Depression and manic-depression often follow cyclical patterns. Although you may go through some painful times and it may be difficult to believe things will get better, it is important not to give up hope.
Personal Responsibility. It’s up to you to take action to keep your moods stabilized. This includes asking for help from others when you need it, taking your medication as prescribed and keeping appointments with your health care providers.
Self Advocacy. Become an effective advocate for yourself so you can get the services and treatment you need, and make the life you want for yourself.
Education. Learn all you can about your illness. This allows you to make informed decisions about all aspects of your life and treatment.
Support. Working toward wellness is up to you. However, support from others is essential to maintaining your stability and enhancing the quality of your life.

Source: Depression and Bipolar Support Alliance

Bipolar disorder support tip #1: Get involved in your treatment

Be a full and active participant in your own treatment. Learn everything you can about bipolar disorder. Become an expert on the illness. Study up on the symptoms, so you can recognize them in yourself, and research all your available treatment options. The more informed you are, the better prepared you’ll be to deal with symptoms and make good choices for yourself.

Using what you’ve learned about bipolar disorder, collaborate with your doctor or therapist in the treatment planning process. Don’t be afraid to voice your opinions or questions. The most beneficial relationships between patient and healthcare provider work as a partnership. You may find it helpful to draw up a treatment contract outlining the goals you and your provider have agreed upon.

Other tips for successful bipolar disorder treatment:

Be patient. Don’t expect an immediate and total cure. Have patience with the treatment process. It can take time to find the right program that works for you.
Communicate with your treatment provider. Keep the lines of communication open with your doctor or therapist. Your treatment program will change over time, so keep in close contact with your provider. Talk to your provider if your condition or needs change and be honest about your symptoms and any medication side effects.
Take your medication as instructed. If you’re taking medication, follow all instructions and take it faithfully. Don’t skip or change your dose without first talking with your doctor.
Get therapy. While medication may be able to manage some of the symptoms of bipolar disorder, therapy teaches you skills you can use in all areas of your life. Therapy can help you learn how to deal with your disorder, cope with problems, regulate your mood, change the way you think, and improve your relationships.

Bipolar disorder support tip #2: Monitor your symptoms and moods

In order to stay well, it’s important to be closely attuned to the way you feel. By the time obvious symptoms of mania or depression appear, it is often too late to intercept the mood swing, so keep a close watch for subtle changes in your mood, sleeping patterns, energy level, and thoughts. If you catch the problem early and act swiftly, you may be able to prevent a minor mood change from turning into a full-blown episode of mania or depression.

Know your triggers and early warning signs – and watch for them

It’s important to recognize the warning signs of an oncoming manic or depressive episode. Make a list of early symptoms that preceded your previous mood episodes. Also try to identify the triggers, or outside influences, that have led to mania or depression in the past. Common triggers include:

stress
financial difficulties
arguments with your loved ones

problems at school or work
seasonal changes
lack of sleep

Common Red Flags for Bipolar Disorder Relapse

Warning signs of depression

I quit cooking meals
I no longer want to be around people.
I crave chocolate.
I start having headaches.
I don’t care about anybody else.
People bother me.

I start needing more sleep, including naps during the day.

Warning signs of mania or hypomania

I find myself reading five books at once.
I can’t concentrate.
I find myself talking faster than usual.
I feel irritable.
I’m hungry all the time.
Friends tell me that I’m crabby.
I need to move around because I have more energy than usual.

Source: BHI Clinicians Guidebook: Bipolar Spectrum Disorders

Knowing your early warning signs and triggers won’t do you much good if you aren’t keeping close tabs on how you’re feeling. By checking in with yourself through regular mood monitoring, you can be sure that red flags don’t get lost in the shuffle of your busy, daily life.

Keeping a mood chart is one way to monitor your symptoms and moods. A mood chart is a daily log of your emotional state and other symptoms you’re having. It can also include information such as how many hours of sleep you’re getting, your weight, medications you’re taking, and any alcohol or drug use. You can use your mood chart to spot patterns and indicators of trouble ahead.

Develop a wellness toolbox

If you spot any warning signs of mania or depression, it’s important to act swiftly. In such times, it’s helpful to have a wellness toolbox to draw from. A wellness toolbox consists of coping skills and activities you can do to maintain a stable mood or to get better when you’re feeling “off.”

The coping techniques that work best will be unique to your situation, symptoms, and preferences. It takes experimentation and time to find a winning strategy. However, many people with bipolar disorder have found the following tools to be helpful in reducing symptoms and maintaining wellness:

talk to a supportive person
get a full eight hours of sleep
cut back on your activities
attend a support group
call your doctor or therapist
do something fun or creative
take time for yourself to relax and unwind

write in your journal
exercise
ask for extra help from loved ones
cut back on sugar, alcohol, and caffeine
increase your exposure to light
increase or decrease the stimulation in your environment

Create an emergency action plan

Despite your best efforts, there may be times when you experience a relapse into full-blown mania or severe depression. In crisis situations where your safety is at stake, your loved ones or doctor may have to take charge of your care. Such times can leave you feeling helpless and out of control, but having a crisis plan in place allows you to maintain some degree of responsibility for your own treatment.

A plan of action typically includes:

A list of emergency contacts (your doctor, therapist, close family members)
A list of all medications you are taking, including dosage information
Information about any other health problems you have
Symptoms that indicate you need others to take responsibility for your care
Treatment preferences (who you want to care for you; what treatments and medications do and do not work, who is authorized to make decisions on your behalf.)

Bipolar disorder support tip #3: Reach out to other people

If your loved one has bipolar disorder, you can be an instrumental support throughout the treatment and recovery process.

Read: Helping a Loved One with Bipolar Disorder

Having a strong support system is vital to staying happy and healthy. Creating a supportive environment includes not just who you surround yourself with, but who you choose to avoid. In order to take care of yourself, it’s necessary to limit your contact with people who drain your emotional energy or leave you feeling discouraged, ashamed, or guilty. Instead, spend time with people who truly value you and make you feel better.

Turn to friends and family – Support for bipolar disorder starts at home. It’s important to have people you can count on to help you through rough times. Isolation and loneliness can cause depression, so regular contact with supportive friends and family members is therapeutic in itself.
Join a bipolar disorder support group – Spending time with people who know what you’re going through and can honestly say they’ve “been there” can be very therapeutic. You can also benefit from the shared experiences and advice of the group members. To find a support group in your area, use the Depression and Bipolar Support Alliance’s Support Group Locator or contact your local branch of the National Alliance on Mental Illness.
Build new relationships – Isolation and loneliness make bipolar disorder worse. If you don’t have a support network you can count on, take steps to develop new relationships. Try taking a class, joining a church or a civic group, volunteering, or attending events in your community.

10 tips for reaching out and building relationships

Talk to one person about your feelings.
Help someone else by volunteering.
Have lunch or coffee with a friend.
Ask a loved one to check in with you regularly.
Accompany someone to the movies, a concert, or a small get-together.

Call or email an old friend.
Go for a walk with a workout buddy.
Schedule a weekly dinner date
Meet new people by taking a class or joining a club.
Confide in a counselor, therapist, or clergy member.

For more, read Relationship Help: Building Great Relationships Using Emotional Intelligence.

Bipolar disorder support tip #4: Develop a daily routine

Your lifestyle choices, including your sleeping, eating, and exercise patterns, have a significant impact on your moods. There are many things you can do in your daily life to get your symptoms under control and to keep depression and mania at bay.

Build structure into your life. Developing and sticking to a daily schedule can help stabilize the mood swings of bipolar disorder. Include set times for sleeping, eating, socializing, exercising, working, and relaxing. Try to maintain a regular pattern of activity, even through emotional ups and downs.
Exercise regularly. Exercise has a beneficial impact on mood and may reduce the number of bipolar episodes you experience. Aerobic exercise is especially effective at treating depression. Try to incorporate at least 30 minutes of activity five times a week into your routine. Walking is a good choice for people of all fitness levels.
Keep a strict sleep schedule. Getting too little sleep can trigger mania, so it’s important to get plenty of rest. For some people, losing even a few hours can cause problems. However, too much sleep can also worsen your mood. The best advice is to maintain a normal sleep schedule, going to bed and waking up at around the same time each day.

Healthy sleep habits for managing bipolar disorder

Go to bed and wake up at the same time each day.
Avoid or minimize napping, especially if it interferes with your sleep at night.
Avoid exercising or doing other stimulating activities late in the day.
No caffeine after lunch or alcohol at night. Both interfere with sleep.

To learn more, read Tips for Getting Better Sleep.

Bipolar disorder support tip #5: Keep stress to a minimum

Stress can trigger episodes of mania and depression in people with bipolar disorder, so keeping it under control is extremely important. Know your limits, both at home and at work or school. Don’t take on more than you can handle and take time to yourself if you’re feeling overwhelmed.

Learn how to relax. Relaxation techniques such as deep breathing, meditation, yoga, and guided imagery can be very effective at reducing stress and keeping you on an even keel. Studies show that a daily relaxation practice of 30 minutes or more can improve your mood and keep depression at bay.
Make leisure time a priority. Do things for no other reason than that it feels good to do them. Go to a funny movie, take a walk on the beach, listen to music, read a good book, or talk to a friend. Doing things just because they are fun is no indulgence. Play is an emotional and mental health necessity.
Appeal to your senses. Stay calm and energized by appealing to the five senses: sight, sound, touch, smell, and taste. Listen to music that lifts your mood, place flowers where you will see and smell them, massage your hands and feet, or sip a warm drink.

Reducing stress in your life

For more stress reduction strategies and tips, read:

Bipolar disorder support tip #6: Watch what you put in your body

From the food you eat to the vitamins and drugs you take, the substances you put in your body have an impact on the symptoms of bipolar disorder – both for better or worse.

Eat a healthy diet. There is an undeniable link between food and mood. For optimal mood, eat plenty of fresh fruits, vegetables, and whole grains and limit your fat and sugar intake. Space your meals out through the day, so your blood sugar never dips too low. High-carbohydrate diets can cause mood crashes, so they should also be avoided. Other mood-busting foods include chocolate, caffeine, and processed foods.
Get your omega-3s. Omega-3 fatty acids may decrease mood swings in bipolar disorder. Omega-3 is available as a nutritional supplement. You can also increase your intake of omega-3 by eating cold-water fish such as salmon, halibut, and sardines, soybeans, flaxseeds, canola oil, pumpkin seeds, and walnuts.
Avoid alcohol and drugs. Drugs such as cocaine, ecstasy, and amphetamines can trigger mania, while alcohol and tranquilizers can trigger depression. Even moderate social drinking can upset your emotional balance. Substance use also interferes with sleep and may cause dangerous interactions with your medications. Attempts to self-medicate or numb your symptoms with drugs and alcohol only create more problems.
Be cautious when taking any medication. Certain prescription and over-the-counter medications can be problematic for people with bipolar disorder. Be especially careful with antidepressant drugs, which can trigger mania. Other drugs that can cause mania include over-the-counter cold medicine, appetite suppressants, caffeine, corticosteroids, and thyroid medication.

Treatment for Bipolar Disorder
Getting Help and Choosing Treatments

Bipolar Medication Guide
Medications and Drugs for Bipolar Disorder

Bipolar Help

2010-07-31T10:42:00.000-07:00

Where to Get Help When You Can’t Afford to See a Doctor

By CANDIDA FINK MD

Bipolar disorder affects not only your health and well being – it can also negatively affect your personal finances. In the U.S. right now, job loss typically equates with the eventual loss of insurance and no income to pay out of pocket for treatment. So where can you turn for help when you can’t afford to see a doctor or purchase the medications that doctor eventually prescribes?

Check to see if your county has a health department (I believe that most do or can refer you to a neighboring county that does). As we explain in Bipolar Disorder for Dummies, a doctor will need to do a thorough evaluation to rule out other possibilities, such as thyroid problems or other medical or psychiatric disorders, that could cause similar symptoms.

In our book, we also point out other free or low-cost care options, including the following:

State or local Mental Health America affiliate: call 1-800-969-6642 or search the directory at www.nmha.org/go/searchMHA
Community mental health clinic
University programs – check with any state universities in your area
Religious organizations – if you belong to a church, contact your minister
State medical assistance
Look up the Social Security office in your area and see if they can do anything for you
Your child may qualify for free or low-cost insurance, too – visitwww.insurekidsnow.gov for details
If you have a local NAMI or DBSA group in your area, they can also offer you support and redirect you to state & local resources.

If you have a close friend or family member who can help you navigate these resources, enlist their assistance. Tracking down assistance and then jumping through hoops to get what you need can be very difficult and stressful in and of itself. If possible, it helps to have someone who can share the burden.

If you’re having trouble paying for prescription medications, check out our post “Can’t Afford Your Bipolar Medications?”

Article Copied from PsychCentral.

Finding your own path to Recovery

2010-07-25T15:56:00.000-07:00

For me, finding my own path wasn't easy. It took me hitting rock bottom multiple times to see that I needed to find the help that would get me on the right path. I had an awesome job in Maine (even though I was working 77 hours a week), a nice apartment, and I finally had money in my pocket. However, I knew something was wrong when bad things started happening to me. The first was Congenative Heart Failure, the second was a very deep second degree burn from a lobster pot falling off a burner. In my mind, disaster had struck and my life was going down the drain. So I did what I normally do when bad things start to happen and I ran. I made a pit stop in Massachusetts, where I was homeless for 2 months and then I raised the funds to come to NC to my moms house where I felt safe and secure. However, that wasn't enough for me. I knew I had to do something to find the strength to go on.

When I got to NC one of the first things I did was to check myself into Durham Center Access. They set me up with a Dialectical Behavior Therapy class for Borderline Personality Disorder and they hoped it would help with my Bipolar as well since they couldn't help me with that. I started looking into various programs and support groups that would help me and found that I was at a road block due to a lack of funds in the area. So I forced myself out of bed everyday and forced myself to find something to do to help me. I became a Certified Peer Support Specialist and a Certified Recovery Coach. I have found my path through helping others who have a close background to myself.

For starters I had to get rid of the spider webs in my head and the negative thoughts (don't get me wrong, they never completely go away) to over come any doubt I had in myself that I could do this. I called around until I found someone offering the Peer Support Training class, sent emails begging to be allowed in his class even though I had no money to cover the costs, then I joined in with various support groups a little further away then I would have liked to have driven but I did it. I then decided I needed to change my music and boy do I love all kinds of music! But I was soon to learn, I could no longer listen to the heavy metal bands as they have a tendency to trigger me, so country and rock it became.

I next, took 3 walls in my bedroom (I live with my mom still) and made my own personal toolbox. On this vision wall I placed photos, sayings, newspaper clippings, cards and letters, recovery quotes, and drawings. I add to them still and as I look over this wall I reflect when I am and where I have been. I have also started blogging and that helps me more then I ever thought possible. Just to see my thoughts, anger, happiness and fears come out in word and to be able to read of them is a truly amazing feeling.

The point to all this is that recovery is possible if you want it bad enough. It doesn't have to happen over night, nor does it have to be continuous, but it is possible. Put it in your mind that you can and will do it, force yourself if need be, but start finding your way. You are the only one who can live your life, not everyone else, you and you alone. Plant your feet and get started! Take that step to your first support group meeting, find medicines that work for you, start a vision wall, let go of some of your anger and you'll start to see a change. Wake up every morning and tell yourself one thing positive about you or do one positive thing a day and you will see a difference.

Remember, only you can help yourself into and out of recovery. Recovery is possible and it does Happen!

Bipolar and Remission; Is there really a remission?

2010-07-23T04:12:00.000-07:00

I found this article through the National Bipolar Foundation. Would love to know what people really feel about it.

http://www.healthyplace.com/blogs/breakingbipolar/2010/07/what-does-remission-mean-in-bipolar-disorder/

Party Smarter

2010-07-01T09:54:00.000-07:00

This information came from the Maine OSA website.

Great information!

Party Smarter:
Plan - Prepare - Pace

Are you getting the most out of your nights out? Sometimes drinking too much can get in the way of having fun. Everybody knows not to drink and drive – but there is more you might want to know to help you Party Smarter. Don’t miss the night and the fun – take some simple steps to “party smarter” whether you’re out at bars, clubs, restaurants, or at a friends’ home or in your home.

Plan - Where are you going? Who are you going with? How are you getting home?

Prepare - Eat, drink water, and make sure you take just enough money to have a good time. Leave the credit cards at home!

Pace – Limit how much you drink in a night.

Why Should You Care?

Well, in addition to having to suffer through a hangover, having no money, cleaning up vomit, repairing friendships or much worse – sometimes the amount you drink can be a signal that you may have a problem with alcohol. If you want to learn more, keep reading.

Does Size Matter?

When it comes to alcoholic drinks, the size and amount of alcohol varies widely. And if you’ve decided that you are only going to drink a certain number of drinks in an evening, you should know what “one drink” means! One beer can is generally 5% alcohol – so one “drink” would be one 12 ounce beer. One shot of liquor – 1.5 oz – is equal to one drink. One mixed drink, assuming it has just one shot of liquor, is also 1.5 oz of alcohol and is equal to one drink. The chart below may help.

Want More?

There are lots of resources to help you party smarter, stay safe, and enjoy your friends. Here are just a few:

Rethinking Drinking

Do you enjoy a drink now and then? Many of us do, often when socializing with friends and family. Drinking can be beneficial or harmful, depending on your age and health status, and, of course, how much you drink.
For anyone who drinks, this site offers valuable, research-based information. What do you think about taking a look at your drinking habits and how they may affect your health? Rethinking Drinking can help you get started.

Alcohol Screening.org

Is drinking alcohol harming my health now, or will it be harmful to me later in life? Should I stop drinking alcohol? Am I a binge drinker? Most adults who drink alcoholic beverages (beer, wine, or liquor) consume safe and healthy amounts. For others, unsafe drinking patterns increase their risk for injury, illness or future alcohol problems. And, for 1 in 13 American adults, alcohol abuse or alcohol dependence (alcoholism) causes substantial harm to their health and disruption in their lives.
If you consume alcoholic beverages, it's important to know whether your drinking patterns are safe, risky or harmful. Answering these questions will take only a few minutes, and will generate personalized results based on your age, gender and drinking patterns. Your responses are completely confidential and anonymous.

Getfit.samhsa.gov

GetFit.SAMHSA.Gov, an interactive workplace Web site that provides you, your family, and colleagues with information about physical health, mental health, drugs, and alcohol. Our goal is to improve the health, safety, and quality of life for employees and their families across the Nation. GetFit.SAMHSA.Gov provides the information and resources that can help you and your family reach that goal by creating a healthy environment at work and at home.

Maine Office of Substance Abuse

If you want printed information or Maine-specific resources for counseling and treatment, contact the Office of Substance Abuse Information & Resource Center
Open Monday through Friday 8:00 am to 5:00 pm
Phone: 1-800-499-0027 (TTY: 1-800-606-0215)
Email: osa.ircosa@maine.gov

Relaspe, just bad or is there some good to it?

2010-06-27T14:03:00.000-07:00

For many of us, fear of relapsing is the stopper that allows us to recover. We fear we might cut again, take that drink, smoke that cigarette, eat too little or too much, and even fall back into a spiraling depression. According to Psychology Today magazine (July/August 2010) " relapse is like riding a bike, everyone falls once." They also went onto state that "if handled right the right way, relapse can actually open the door to lasting success." The entire article, "The New Quitter" (pages 79-85), is actually pretty interesting. If you can find it online, please take a minute to read it.

I (personally) normally find magazine articles full of crap, but this one drew my attention right away as it made comments that I've made where myself is concerned. That's what drew me to it. After all, for many, the number one reason for relapse is almost always an emotional this or that that pushes us over-board. If we are to overcome these relapses, we need to find a way to overcome our emotional issues I personally find this correct. By me relapsing into my depression I am able to see clearly what went wrong and there for I am able to help myself correct the issue or find a way to avoid that trigger.

Besides, our illness didn't happen overnight so we shouldn't expect our recovery to happen overnight either. Keep your goals small and you will see bigger results. But don't give up on your goals either! Attend a WRAP class, a Wellness class, DBT, CBT or even a WMR class and you will soon see results in what your looking for. Bottom line: Don't ever give up on yourself! You're too valuable of a person to be letting a small thing like relapse kill the recovery that you have made.

Recovery Happens!

Recovery and You!

Dear Mental Illness

Being a Peer Support Specialist

Where am I?

Mirroring

Taking for granted...

Recovery 101

Have Yourself a Mindful Merry Christmas

Published 01 Dec 2010 by Medical News Today

Mindful Drinking

Mindful Eating

Mindful Shopping

Everyday Midnfulness

Dear Diagnosis....

Mindfulness Therapy Works for Depression

Published December 07, 2010 by| LiveScience

Encouragement and Hope

Self Harm. Why we do it and ways to stop.

Love and Happiness with a Mental Illness

Thinking Positive....

Say hello to Someone you don't know day! Inspiration and Sadness...

That time of year again....

Random Musings

Recovery Plans

True Friends

Bipolar Support and Self-Help

LIVING AND COPING WITH BIPOLAR DISORDER

Living with bipolar disorder: What you can do to help yourself

Bipolar Disorder: Key Recovery Concepts

Bipolar disorder support tip #1: Get involved in your treatment

Other tips for successful bipolar disorder treatment:

Bipolar disorder support tip #2: Monitor your symptoms and moods

Know your triggers and early warning signs – and watch for them

Common Red Flags for Bipolar Disorder Relapse

Develop a wellness toolbox

Create an emergency action plan

Bipolar disorder support tip #3: Reach out to other people

10 tips for reaching out and building relationships

Bipolar disorder support tip #4: Develop a daily routine

Healthy sleep habits for managing bipolar disorder

Bipolar disorder support tip #5: Keep stress to a minimum

Reducing stress in your life

Bipolar disorder support tip #6: Watch what you put in your body

Related Articles

More Helpguide Articles:

Related links for bipolar disorder support and self-help

Living and coping with bipolar disorder

Taking charge of bipolar disorder recovery

Bipolar disorder mood and symptom monitoring

Healthy lifestyle choices for bipolar disorder

Bipolar disorder support groups

Bipolar Help

Where to Get Help When You Can’t Afford to See a Doctor

Finding your own path to Recovery

Bipolar and Remission; Is there really a remission?

Party Smarter

This information came from the Maine OSA website.

Great information!

Party Smarter: Plan - Prepare - Pace

Why Should You Care?

Does Size Matter?

Want More?

Rethinking Drinking

Alcohol Screening.org

Getfit.samhsa.gov

Maine Office of Substance Abuse

Relaspe, just bad or is there some good to it?

Party Smarter:
Plan - Prepare - Pace