Get up and do something first thing in the day.
Be active.
Be motivated by love.
Don’t be silent anymore.
Simplify life — remove whatever and whoever does not inspire, inform, add personal value and friendship, or provide a needed service
Clean it up, and make it easy to keep clean.
There will always be more things to learn and do as the day progresses, but you have to start somewhere.
7 Responses
Hey Donna! (I know, it’s been a while!)
I just came back from a very beautiful and introspective trip through the northwest. The realizations about myself and the way I interact with my world and loved ones has blown me away. I’ve learned that my bipolar problems are caused by Asperger’s Syndrome. It involves having too sensitive of senses, which overwhelm me at times. I have an inability to see my own failures to communicate, leading me to spiral out of control–in one direction or another! It has explained so much. I’m just blown away that I can get the right help, by learning to overcome a disability (my mental wheelchair!) and not have to take a bunch of pills that stifle my creativity.
I’m sitting here trying to absorb everything and establish my approach to all of this, trying to phrase all the wisdom I’ve heard…. and here you just said it all in a beautiful, simple way.
Thank you.
It took me forever to learn to be silent at all… now I’m learning not to be!
Hey Karmen! Like the new website, and good to know you are doing so well.
Bipolar is a bitch. The sensitivity we have can definitely lead to overwhelm so easily.
I take one pill, lamictal, which I refer to as my wonder drug. I talked my shrink into prescribing it, and he thanks me endlessly for it, since a lot of his patients use it now. For me, it’s night and day. No depression, no down swings, just enjoyment of life.
I’m usually silent about the bipolar thing, since I don’t like having to explain it or being judged for it. But, sometimes, ya gotta speak up and let others know what they are going through is not something they have to deal with alone.
We are some of the most creative and capable people around, if given the right environment. Brava to you for finding one that is working so well for you!
I tried a similar medication to lamictal for a while. It didn’t cloud my mind like other ones (ie, lithium and some antidepressents) but it didn’t really help me, either. At that point in my life, I needed to build the right habits. Medication might have helped, but only in concert with learning to live on my own. Lacking those habits, it just all fell apart. I would consider trying again now, but, as you said, things seem to be working! At least I know if I later need support to manage my anxiety and mood swings, that sort of help is available. Right now, I’m benefiting from the beautiful and wise words of the people I admire. It took some time to actually listen, though. I’m still learning how, so it’s nice to have inspiring words around to practice with! Again, thanks!
Tao helped me more than anything else. ;^) The Tao Te Ching is worth a whole lot of therapy and medication. ;^)
And Deng Ming Dao was an absolute treasure chest for me, meditating on those thoughts every day for a year. The 365 Tao is an amazing book.
So, what habits have helped you the most??
Donna, love this. Maybe I’ll do one of my own at my blog! Thanks for the inspiration.
Hmm… helpful habits… good question.
Calendar: not just having one, but having the habit of looking at it. It’s saved me from being a total scatter-brain.
Mis en place: a place for everything; everything in it’s place. (If it doesn’t fit, it causes stress and has to go.) I put things back almost unconsciously this way.
The first two are big… if my surrounding world is calm, then so am I. But sometimes, I need a boost:
Meditate, if you can: the only way I’ve ever been able to meditate is by sweeping the garden. Even then, my mind isn’t so quiet, but it happily goes, “whee sweeping” and nothing else. It’s as good as I can get.
I’ve also found that if I can’t calm down with my usual routines, then I need to make time for myself–birdwatching, crafting, reading something for fun. Sometimes I have to force myself to take 10 minutes and do something fun. That’s better than constantly telling myself I’ll have time to do it later.
I love the Tao Te Ching… I’ll have to check out Deng Ming Dao!
I think I meditate in motion — never really got the hang of doing it sitting still. Watering the garden is a good one for me. Sweeping is good. Mindless repetitive motion is good. Sitting still the wheels spin too much.
I still don’t have a place for everything but I can find anything in my house in less than five minutes, so that’s pretty good, I think.
I use the calendar only for appointments. But I’ve learned I do have to have a physical calendar, not an electronic one. Dunno why.
Yeah, Deng Ming Dao is awesome. 365 Tao highly recommended. Or just scan through my old blog posts for 365 Tao, most of them are in there somewhere.