Over the years of struggling with anxiety and panic attacks, I have gone through many learning experiences and trials. For a long time, I tried to keep up appearances that my life was perfect and I could handle anything. In panicky situations, I would sort of lie to people by telling them I wasn’t feeling well but never really explained why. Or I would just leave. After years of “not feeling well” at family gatherings, people started coming up with their own conclusions. This only made things worse.

I haven’t felt like the best bipolar me in over two weeks. The Lithium finally kicked in and I was sick. I was nauseous after my night time meal and so drowsy during the day that I could barely keep my eyes open. I let it continue for two weeks. I thought that I just had to get used to it. Fortunately, I got tired of it and decided to do a little research. I found some information on Lithium and nausea that suggested that I split up my dosage into morning and night instead of just dosing at night. The results were amazing. I started to become the best bipolar me.

Raising a child is hard enough. Having a child with an addiction can be a living hell; a nightmare of constant heartache and worry. This week, on the HealthyPlace Mental Health TV Show, we're focusing on parents of addicts - what they do right, wrong, and how to draw the line in helping an addicted child (teen or adult).

I find that many people are looking for safe alternative treatments to help with their anxiety besides medication. I have mentioned several before such as relaxation techniques, yoga, deep breathing techniques, positive affirmations, changes to your diet, building your self-esteem, etc. However another option worth considering is taking vitamins. Specifically, vitamins B and C are geared towards reducing stress and anxiety.

Hooboy! My ADHD Fuddy Duddy System™ failed me last weekend. Perhaps more correctly, I should say I failed my system. Good thing I know how to laugh at myself.

I’ve been thinking a lot about how to be the best bipolar me and what my father’s advice to me would be. The first time I told him I was suicidal, he merely said to pull myself up by my bootstraps. I resented the hell out of it. I felt powerless to do anything about my situation and my father insinuating that all I had to do is pull myself up was, I thought, disillusioning on his part. I was suffering from bipolar disorder and it was out of my control. How could I then control it when it controlled me?

A common problem every parent faces is how to assess and deal with behavior problems in children.  Unfortunately, kids don't come with a manual and most of us learn parenting skills from our own parents and how they raised us.  Sometimes, that's not enough when you're dealing with a child who presents special parenting challenges.

Can exercise be an effective alternative ADHD treatment? Will I ever get up off the couch to find out?

I love all of the comments that I receive. On my last post about the benefits of yoga, I received a couple of comments I thought were worth discussing. The first is from Sue Best, and she addresses implementing a yoga workout at her office, "One of my work colleagues organised yoga after work and it is a great success. Some people even fall asleep at the relaxation at the end, which is a wonder, because our workplace is fraught and can be frantic.

After two weeks of viral fun, I finally emerge into the sunlight slightly pudgy and pasty, but ready to introduce myself to the world in my first YouTube video. It’s not bad enough to go viral, but gosh! It’s not good.