You can live in the same neighborhood for thirty years and still have little idea of what is going on there. You can shop in the stores, eat in the restaurants, talk with the neighbors, and feel that you know the community very well. But there are still more things going on than you know about. You simply never knew to look for them or were never taught how.
The police that work in the area know about crimes that go on right in front of you. The pest control people see things in the restaurants that might shock you if you knew they were there. Everyone from the woman in the plumbing shop to the guy selling pot (maybe even out of your own house) see things going on that you do not. The preacher knows about the spiritual goings on and the neighborhood doctor sees all of the injuries and illnesses.
When a thief sees a saint all he notices is his pockets. We all only see the things we have been trained to look for. As Paul Simon famously sang, “We all see what we want to see and disregard the rest.”
The same thing is happening in the depression and bipolar worlds. Many doctors and therapists only see it as a disease, family members see behaviors, and people with depression only see pain and suffering. There is so much more going on that none of them have been taught how to see. I have been teaching all three groups for ten years and am amazed how little awareness there is about very important details until I show them were to look.
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Great information here! In my work as a psychologist-trained Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction coach/consultant, I see that clients who are able to develop self-awareness of mood states and triggers are much more empowered to manage symptoms and live rich, full lives. Thank you.
I am glad you liked it. Please check back for the rest of the series. I will be writing similar articles about understanding, functionality, comfort, value, and time along with how they all fit together.
I have suffered from clinical depression since 1988. During the first severe episode, I was able to maintain functionality. It became more difficult over the years. However, I’ve always been aware something was wrong and that feeling this way was not normal. I haven’t been able to uncover the triggers for the more severe episodes since I’ve been an adult. It was clear early-on. Right now, I feel the best that I have in like 15 years. My level of functioning has not yet returned to 100%, and I live in fear of relapse. I think you are on to something with this and I hope you continue your research and awareness spreads.
I am so happy that I stumbled upon this blog! I was diagnosed with bipolar 2 in 2001. Prior to my diagnosis, I suffered from very severe, very deep, suicidal depressive episodes, for years. Eleven years after my diagnosis, and after getting therapy, I hardly ever suffer from any mania or depression, and when I do it is very mild. This is because through trial and error, I stumbled on to many of the practices that you’ve mentioned above.
I always tell my fellow BPers, in order to get BP under control you MUST get control of whatever is going on inside of YOU. There is just no other way around it, I don’t think. You can’t rely on the meds indefinitely. They don’t- not to my experience- work over long periods of time. They cause more problems than they fix…there is a better and easier way. I am so glad that you are out there articulating this!
In my book, The Way Through Lessons Learned on Life, Love and the Journey, I outline my descent into madness, beginning at age 13 and my journey back to sanity which began at about age 33. Seeing Bipolar Disorder as an “advantage” is a huge shift in perception. BUT it is a shift that we can make! I mean my mania and hypomania’s have certainly taken me to some interesting places! It all sort of makes me go hmmmmmmmm……maybe that Tom Wootton is on to something new and exciting in the BP world!