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In our society, it is widely known one should wait until after their first trimester before breaking the good news of pregnancy to friends and family. This is because after the first trimester, the risk of miscarriage significantly decreases. The idea is that if you tell people you are pregnant and then miscarry, that it would be painful to have to tell everyone that you lost the baby. It's a way to protect yourself from pain. After spending the day in the ER with the suspicion of having a miscarriage, I realized doing this may prevent additional pain but it also shuts out the opportunity to feel love and support.
The road is hard to ride on, but it gets easier as you go along. In this video on bipolar disorder treatment and recovery, join me as I update you on my progress to bipolar wellness.
The public doesn't need help describing anorexia and bulimia and other eating disorders. Ask most people "What is anorexia?" and they'll have an answer, an opinion, and a list of people they know who have it. We can define it, but unfortunately our ideas are often wrong. That's why we need the "DSM," which stands for the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual published by the American Psychiatric Association.
I’ve heard from others that they think their bipolar disorder is a blessing. I once scoffed at them. How could being bipolar be a blessing? One has to be constantly on the warpath to make sure that bipolar disorder doesn’t nip one in the bud. But I have to say that I’m rethinking my original idea. Being bipolar has led me on a spectacular journey. I've learned that I am not perfect, nor was I ever perfect before the bipolar diagnosis. I’ve learned that bipolar is not the essence of myself and it no longer controls me. Me and bipolar--we've come a long way together.
Many books I find helpful in dealing with eating disorders aren't about eating disorders. Watch this video for ideas on literature that helps with eating disorders even though it doesn't intend to do it.
Yesterday was a really beautiful warm spring day where I live. Two days ago, it was snowing! So I really took advantage of the sun and warmth and spent some time outdoors. I went to my local Lowe's and drooled over the plants and flowers that are finally out for sale. The vegetables and early perennials and annuals were calling to me.
Over the past several years, I have found a real love of gardening because the warmth of the sun and the smell of the grass and flowers brings me peace. There is also such a sense of satisfaction to watch something grow from a tiny seed to a full plant that you can admire or even harvest and eat.
If you are like me then you collect projects like Rachel Ray collects recipes. Unlike Rachel Ray, however, I used to try to do all my projects at the same time—a veritable smorgasbord of delights with no main theme to my life. Then I figured something out: I wasn't a very good chef.
Do you ever have those dreams where you run and run and you never get anywhere? I used to have those dreams all the time before I started this quest to bipolar recovery. I felt lost. Like I would never get anywhere. And then I began to follow my own advice to those who had asked for it. I began to believe. I believed that what I wanted wasn’t unattainable. This time I ran and smack in the middle of my dream I stopped and smiled. I’m following the road to bipolar recovery and stability and it’s a wonderful thing!
Horror films don't come close to raising blood pressure like the prospect of mealtime for a parent of an eating disorder patient. Forget the knives and chain saws: the sight of a fork and spoon can be send the pulse racing. There is hope, however, in having a plan.
No process better defines the "Oooh, shiny!" moment more than the ADHD tendency to stop one project to begin another at the drop of a hat. This week I want to talk about a similar tendency: collecting projects like shelves collect dust.