Finding a New Bipolar Normal
Published: Wed, 06/10/09
Hi ,
How's it going?
You know how some things change?
Sometimes they can be small changes,
and sometimes they can be big changes.
Small changes might be just buying
some new clothes, or something like that.
That doesn't take a lot of getting used to.
Now, something like dying your hair
might take a little more getting used to
(if you're going from dark hair to blonde,
say, for instance).
Or buying a new car when all you've
ever driven were second-hand cars...
Or going from living in an apartment
to buying a new house, now that might
be considered a big change, and take
a little more getting used to.
Or getting married, when you've always
been a confirmed bachelor...
Or having a baby...
Or moving to the city from a small town...
Well, you get the picture.
Big changes can take a lot of getting
used to.
It's the same with bipolar disorder.
For you and your loved one, getting
used to the diagnosis may be a little
difficult at first, but then you make
the adjustment, and it's not too bad.
But getting used to living with the
disorder might be a little more difficult.
Getting used to taking medication might
not be so difficult (although for some
people it is)...
But the side effects may be a little harder
to deal with.
But after time, even those can be dealt
with, especially with the doctor's help.
Going to doctor's appointments may be
different at first, but you can get used
to that change.
Just the fact that, once your loved one
is diagnosed with bipolar disorder means
that changes have to be made in your
life is a big deal, and those changes are
what I teach about in my courses/systems.
I talk about what changes you have to make
and how to deal with them.
SUPPORTING AN ADULT WITH BIPOLAR DISORDER?
Visit:
http://www.bipolarsupporter.com/report11
SUPPORTING A CHILD/TEEN WITH BIPOLAR DISORDER?
Visit:
http://www.bipolarparenting.com
HAVE BIPOLAR DISORDER?
Visit:
http://www.survivebipolar.net
Another change your loved one has
to make when they have bipolar
disorder is to live a healthy lifestyle,
but you can help with that by making
sure they eat a good diet, exercise,
and keep to a regular sleep schedule.
These are relatively easy changes to
make.
Building a strong support system may
seem difficult to do at first, but once
it's in place, and your loved one lets
their supporters (especially you) help
them, their support system just kind
of runs itself, so it's not such a difficult
change in the long run.
After awhile, the changes that you and
your loved one have to make because
they have bipolar disorder are not that
difficult to live with.
What started off as big changes are not
as big in the long run -
You get used to them.
But I'll tell you what is the most difficult
change of all:
Getting used to a new normal.
That's right - a new normal.
In the beginning, your loved one struggled
with their bipolar disorder, and you
struggled right along with them.
Getting everything in order, making all
the changes that needed to be made, then
getting used to all of them.
Things definitely weren't normal for
awhile, were they?
But now you have reached a new normal
for the both of you.
And now you have to get used to it.
And that may not be as easy as it
seemed at first.
Some things may seem quite new,
actually.
At first, your loved one may have had
more episodes, and you had to learn
to deal with them.
You had to learn to deal with their
bipolar behavior even between episodes.
But if they have been doing what they
need to do in order to attain and maintain
stability, they aren't having those episodes
any more (or at least not often).
And the two of you should be living a
relatively normal life.
That's what I mean by getting used to a
new normal.
A new normal loved one (stable) and a
new normal life (without an episode
around every corner).
How does it feel to be living with a
new normal?
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Well, I have to go!
Your Friend,
Dave
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