Kathy C., a blog reader just sent me this. It’s long and sweet and defintely worth reading. I am putting up more ideas from readers, guest writers and guest authors. If you know of anyone who would be great for the blog, just let me know. Maybe it’s you!
Stress FACTOR…..
A lecturer, when explaining stress management to an audience,
Raised a glass of water and asked;
‘How heavy is this glass of water?’
Answers called out ranged from 8-10oz.
The lecturer replied, ‘The absolute weight doesn’t matter.
It depends on how long you try to hold it.
If I hold it for a minute, that’s not a problem.
If I hold it for an hour, I’ll have an ache in my right arm.
If I hold it for a day, you’ll have to call an ambulance.
Liz Brody wrote an excellent article for Yahoo Shine on the six surprising signs of depression- I know I have experienced all of them! Here is the beginning of Liz Brody’s article and a link below.
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Six Surprising Signs of Depression by Liz Brody
Here’s a “what-if” scenario: Your husband starts working late every night, you forget the last time you were physically intimate, and he seems to have lost interest in you. Shall we cut to the chase? The guy’s having an affair. Slam dunk, change your Facebook status.
Maybe not. These signs are some of the lesser-known symptoms of depression. which affects nearly 1 out of 10 Americans, according to CDC figures released just in time for National Depression Screening Day. Throughout the country today, October 7, you can get a free, anonymous mental health evaluation at one of 1,500 facilities or by taking a three-minute test online. “You can [ Read More ]
I just recieved this comment from Melissa. Most of us have been here. That is for sure. It’s so important to remember that we are not weird or obsessive when we aren’t ill. Most of us are darn normal! It’s the illness- which means we have to become experts at managing the illness. Here is Melissa’s comment and my reply:
Julie,
I’m revved up and getting amped out. I can’t concentrate on my work. I’m seeing the three S’s – speeding, spending ; sex – on the increase. I battle with it constantly it seems and today I seem to be losing. I was triggered by the possibility of not getting to see someone I’ve been fantasizing about anymore so I’ve been trying to contact him. No-no. I took my PRN but it really isn’t helping. Good grief I’m having problems with this and I’m rambling to boot. Sorry. Melissa,
I just had another client email where someone used the term bipolarity. Amazing. I heard it for the first time just a month ago. That is the power of the internet. Speaking of the internet, I saw the movie The Social Network yesterday. I strongly recommend it. There is so much to learn from the movie that has to do with bipolar disorder management. Here is what I mean:
1. If we act without knowing why we act, we will be in trouble. In other words, if you’re depressed and it is distorting your mind, you will act based off of the distortion and cause damage in your life. I did it until I created my management plan (Health Cards, Take Charge, Etc). Now I always try to say to myself- why am I doing this? Is it me? Jealousy? Bipolar? In the past it was mostly BIPOLARITY. Now I am pretty aware of [ Read More ]
What is the difference between schizophrenia and bipolar disorder?
Schizophrenia is a psychotic disorder- bipolar disorder is a mood disorder. Bipolar disorder and schizophrenia share some symptoms, but in reality are very different. When my ex partner Ivan got extremely sick in 1994 and was committed to the hospital in a manic/psychotic episode, the first step was to rule out schizophrenia as they look so similar when the symptoms are full blown. Schizophrenia is characterized by chronic psychotic symptoms whereas the psychosis in bipolar disorder is episodic.
Of course the duration of psychosis can vary in both. When a person has bipolar disorder along with chronic, stand alone psychosis, the illness is called schizoaffective disorder. Psychosis comes in two basic forms- hallucinations and delusions. Hallucinations include seeing, feeling, smelling or hearing something that isn’t there. I’ve had a lot of hallucinations over the years to seeing rats run around chairs, hearing voices [ Read More ]
I work with a lot of clients in my coaching business who find it hard to understand some of the odd behaviors of their loved ones. Here are the symptoms:
1. Want to work- have time to work- have ideas for work- but can’t work.
2. Can’t see the signs of mania even though others can see them 100%.
3. Make choices that make the depression or mania worse even when they know they are making a big mistake.
4. Stop taking meds even when it’s obvious the meds are working really well.
5. Get angry and then expect the family/work/friends etc. to just bounce back when their mood changes.
6. Refuse help- even if it means they lose a relationship/job/friend/home, etc.
It may seem odd to call the above list ‘symptoms’- but they are. All people with bipolar have the above behaviors- so that means they are symptoms of the illness. A plan in [ Read More ]
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Mom Brain Podcast
Listen to Julie’s latest interview on bipolar disorder and mental health in children, teens and adults on the Mom Brain Podcast with Hilaria Baldwin and Daphne Oz.
The health information contained herein is provided for general education purposes only. This site should not be seen as a substitute for an official diagnosis or for professional health care.
