Bipolar? Stressed Out? Use This Concept
Published: Wed, 07/14/10
Hi ,
How's it going?
Hope you are doing well.
I heard a concept a long time ago that has
stuck with me.
It happens to be based in a certain
spirituality, but I don't think that anyone
has to be of that spirituality to understand
or use this concept.
Maybe you've heard of it.
It's commonly called "The Serenity
Prayer."
I'll edit it a little bit so that it doesn't
include the spiritual base.
"Grant me the serenity to accept the things
I cannot change, courage to change the
things I can, and wisdom to know the
difference."
If you really think about it, this is a good
concept for everyone.
See, there are things in everyone's life that
we'd like to change, but we can't.
There are also things that we can change
(whether we'd like to or not.) :P
An important first step is to learn the
difference between these two types of
situations.
That way we won't waste our time trying
to change things when it's simply not
going to work.
Also, we can focus on the things that we
can make an impact on in our lives.
But first we have to know the difference.
One of the simplest differences is a
situation that is out of our control and our
personal reactions to it.
The most relevant example would be that
you can't control if you or your loved one
has bipolar disorder or not.
But you can control how you react to it,
what choices you make despite it, and
how you plan for and against it.
You can control how it affects your life.
There isn't a magic pill that a person can
take to wish it away, and plain and simple
wishing won't help either.
But we can "make the most of what we've
got."
I've heard a saying, "When life gives you
lemons, make lemonade."
Well, without sugar and water, the
lemonade isn't going to taste very good.
LOL.
So maybe you should make a point in
investing in the sugars and waters of life.
That is to say, maybe you should make a
point in investing in the things, skills, and
people that will make life easier to
manage, even despite bipolar disorder.
Another example of things we cannot
change is our past choices.
But the things we can change is whether
we choose to learn from those choices
and make better ones today and tomorrow.
We cannot change the past, but we can
always learn from it.
After all, where we are going is more
important than where we have been.
Another example: we cannot change who
our family is, but we can change how we
react to them, whether we choose to be
around them, and who our friends are.
If your family is loving and supportive,
then not only should you be "hanging
around" them, but you should also be
doing anything you can to make life easier
for them, so that they can do the same for
you in return.
If, on the other hand, your family does
more to bring you down and make life
harder on you, then it might be better to
avoid going to family functions and other
meetings with them.
You have to use your better judgment
in matters like that.
If you cannot decide on your own, then
ask a supporter or therapist to help you
analyze the situation and come up with
a positive solution.
There are a lot of situations in life,
especially in life with bipolar disorder, that
cannot be controlled.
But there is always at least one aspect of
the situation that we can control and put
our input into.
If nothing else, how we choose to act and
react is our choice to make.
Many times, there are other things that we
can change as well.
"Grant me the serenity to accept the things
I cannot change, courage to change the
things I can, and the wisdom to know the
difference."
May this be true in your life.
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Well, I have to go!
Your Friend,
Dave
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