Bipolar? Stuck? Try Heading Up
Published: Tue, 07/13/10
Hi ,
How's it going?
Hope you are doing well.
I just met a woman who was very
embarrassed about where she lived.
You see, she lived in a shelter for battered
women.
But it took her a long time to admit to it
in our conversation.
I'm not entirely sure why she was
embarrassed.
See, she's in a better place then she was
in before.
At least where she's at, she's safe.
That's better than it was before.
So at least she's moving up.
It may take some time and effort to get
to the next step upwards, but that's part
of life.
At least she's taken the first step that she
needed to take.
And at least she's making an effort that
she never felt strong enough to make
before.
I've met a lot of people who have bipolar
disorder who were embarrassed about their
treatment.
Some of them were embarrassed about
having to take their medications, or about
being hospitalized during a crisis.
Others are embarrassed about having to
go to therapy, or about just having the
disorder to begin with.
But there's nothing to be embarrassed
about.
Especially when it comes to treatment.
It should be something that makes a person
proud.
"I've got a problem that I can't get rid of,
but at least I'm getting the help I need to
make it manageable."
If everyone looked at it like that, then there
would be no need to be embarrassed.
Now, of course, there is stigma to take into
consideration.
Even if people with bipolar disorder can
learn to be proud of their treatments, that
doesn't necessarily mean that others will
understand.
But with education, hopefully that will get
better with time.
Here's an analogy for you:
Have you ever heard of rivers that have
stepping stones going across them.
These rivers are usually smaller rivers,
but they would still be unmanageable to
get across without these stones, or
without a bridge of any kind.
But much of the time, because they are
in the places that they are in, there are no
bridges available to make.
So in order to get across, you use these
stepping stones.
Sometimes this can still be hard, and
maybe even dangerous.
If the rocks are unstable, you could tip
over and fall into the river.
But if you take it slow, and only focus
on the next stepping stone that's ahead of
you, then you can make it across safely.
Now, what does this analogy mean to
people who have bipolar disorder?
It means that as long as we are moving
up in life, and focusing on one step at a
time, that there is nothing wrong with
where we are at.
After all, there are reasons for everything.
Some people believe that there is a
spiritual reason for everything.
But even if you don't think that, maybe
you can appreciate this concept:
We can MAKE a reason for everything.
We can choose to learn from every
situation that we find ourselves in, and
to use what we've learned to move
forward in life.
We might even be able to help others
with what we learned.
That's what I try to do.
It's all about figuring out what the next
step is, and moving forward.
As long as we are constantly moving
forward, then there is no reason to be
embarrassed about doing the best that
we can.
What are your thoughts on that?
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Well, I have to go!
Your Friend,
Dave
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