Lesson from a Butterfly for Bipolar Disorder
Published: Tue, 12/08/09
Hi ,
How's it going?
I've been thinking about something,
and wanted to share my thoughts
with you.
It's about what happens
when you try to accomplish too
much too fast.
Or expect things to happen too
soon.
Think about it. When you try to
accomplish too much too fast,
you are just setting yourself up
for failure, because you'll never
be able to do it.
When you try to accomplish too
much too fast, it can lead to
discouragement for you when it
doesn't turn out how you expect it to.
Also, if you don't know how long
something should take, you can
start to think it's taking too long.
For example, after an episode.
The "too much too fast" idea can be
applied to coming out of an episode,
if you're not careful.
You and your loved one might expect
that recovery will happen just like that!
But it could take up to a year to fully
"fix" the after effects of an episode.
Like the financial ruin - you can't
fix a bankruptcy in just two weeks!
But some people think you can
just do it overnight! We don't rush
the stroke victim or even the cancer
victim, why do we rush the victim
of bipolar disorder?
Thinking that they should be over
an episode after just a week or two
is just plain unrealistic expectations.
Would we have that same expectation
if they were getting over a physical
illness?
Then why are we expecting it from a
bipolar episode?
For my materials on bipolar disorder,
I interviewed people who are success
stories, and they talk about how
long it took them to fully recover
from some of their episodes, and
some of them say it took a whole
year, and some even longer!
You can read about this and hear
about it in my courses/systems:
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
There are some things in life
that take a certain amount of time
to happen. It's just the way it has
to be.
Think about things in nature.
Like the butterfly - it starts off
as a caterpillar...then it goes into
a cocoon... and only after a
certain period of time does it
emerge as that beautiful butterfly!
It just doesn't happen overnight.
It takes time.
A process has to happen.
And if you interrupt that process
at any point in the chain of events,
the whole thing would be ruined!
Some things just can't be rushed.
Other things just have to take place
in a certain order.
And still other things have to take
place at a certain time.
Wanting your loved one who has
bipolar disorder to get over their
episode overnight is like wanting
them to be that beautiful butterfly
without going through the cocoon
phase!
Let's look at it this way:
When your loved one is first diagnosed
and taking their first baby steps into
the world of bipolar disorder, let's call
that the "caterpillar stage."
There are certain things that have to
happen during that stage, or they cannot
move on.
For example, they have to learn to take
their medications, every day and religiously.
They have to learn to go to their doctor,
psychiatrist, and therapist, and how important
that is.
They need to get used to a new lifestyle.
Then they can move onto the cocoon
stage, where they practice everything
they've learned, so that in this stage they
learn to control their bipolar disorder
(and not the other way around).
They can now manage their bipolar
disorder, so that...
When the time is right for them to emerge
from their "cocoon,"...
They can become that beautiful butterfly
and enjoy a stable and happy life!
But do you see how you cannot skip
any of those stages?
Each one is necessary.
It may be hard to be patient during
this process, but remember that
beautiful butterfly.
Some things are worth waiting for!
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Well, I have to go!
Your Friend,
Dave
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