Straight Talk on Managing Bipolar Disorder

hi! I just received this great comment from Debbie regarding my post about Thanksgiving.

Amen! This year my husband and I decided to do just that…..say no and do our OWN Thanksgiving. I was always going to other’s homes for Thanksgiving but hauling half my kitchen over there. We decided we would have a small dinner at our house. If it ends up us ALONE, well what’s so bad about that! We have ruffled feathers and caused a massive fruit basket turnover but we have never been happier and we are looking forward to Thanksgiving for the first time in our 33 year marriage! We call it ‘house rules’ now. You are welcome to our home, but you will follow our ‘house rules’. My husband likes to say, ‘Be nice or leave’. It has put a hault to much traffic but those that come seem to be the ones we wanted here anyway. And the meal is just part of the day. The parades, ballgames, naps, shopping and being with people you love is the other part. Enjoy!

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wow, I could not have said it better. A friend of mine is coming into town and we will do something fun with my mom and then I will go over to some friends who will be finished with their obligatory family get together that always stresses them out.

Please know that I’m not against Thanksgiving at all- in fact, I think it can be a wonderful occasion. I’m simply saying that you can do what you want on that day- even if it does ruffle turkey feathers!

You have a week to decide what works for you!

For those of you outisde the states- Thanksgiving is a huge family/friend get together where your table is literally covered in traditional Thanksgiving food-  a huge turkey, mashed potatoes, sweet potatoes, rolls, cranberry sauce, corn ,string beans, black eyed peas, ham, ambrosia- a southern dish of oranges and coconut, etc etc. At least that was my family in Alabama!

julie

I can work today!

 It’s like catching lightening in a bottle- when I catch it, I’d better take advantage of it. What happens in our brains to make it so very hard for us to work when we’re in a mood swing?
I know that parts of our brains accomplish different tasks- some are verbal, spatial, emotional, etc.
For people with ADHD, sitting and working can be hard- here is a brain explanation for ADHD from myadhd.com
Current research indicates the frontal lobe, basal ganglia, caudate nucleus, cerebellum, as well as other areas of the brain, play a significant role in ADHD because they are involved in complex processes that regulate behavior (Teeter, 1998). These higher order processes are referred to as executive functions. Executive functions include such processes as inhibition, working memory, planning, self-monitoring, verbal regulation, motor control, maintaining and changing mental set and emotional regulation. According to a current model of ADHD developed by Dr. Russell Barkley, problems in response inhibition is the core deficit in ADHD. This has a cascading effect on the other executive functions listed above (Barkley, 1997).

Hmm.  That’s one part of our problem with work. All people with bipolar disorder have ADHD symptoms. The REAL problem is that bipolar doesn’t stop there. Our neurochemicals affect so much more than our ability to sit still and concentrate. We all know that!
When someone asks you why it’s so hard for you to work- you can say:
Well, you probably know how hard it is for people with ADHD to concentrate. Now, multiply that by one million and you may have an idea of what it’s like to try and concentrate when you’re manic or suicidal!
Of course, I’m being a bit flip here, but you get the idea. 🙂
I’m thankful I can work today. I just hope I’m not hypomanic. That is always a question I want to answer very honestly!
Julie 

I just read the following article on Yahoo.  

 Unhappy People Watch Lots More TV
 
by Jeanna Bryner

Unhappy people glue themselves to the television 30 percent more than happy people.

The finding, announced on Thursday, comes from a survey of nearly 30,000 American adults conducted between 1975 and 2006 as part of the General Social Survey.
While happy people reported watching an average of 19 hours of television per week, unhappy people reported 25 hours a week. The results held even after taking into account education, income, age and marital status.

In addition, happy individuals were more socially active, attended more religious services, voted more and read a newspaper more often than their less-chipper counterparts.

The researchers are not sure, though, whether unhappiness leads to more television-watching or more viewing leads to unhappiness.

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I can actually answer the last question- depression leads to more television watching which then leads to guilt that nothing gets done. I hear this over and over again. I stopped watching television for a few years after I was diagnosed. I just couldn’t turn it off and so much of it was depressing!

I now love to watch TV-  I’ve learned to only watch certain programs to make sure I don’t waste my time and then feel like crud for going back to old ways. I watch three shows American Idol, So You Think You Can Dance and Dancing with the Stars.  My other viewing is FOOTBALL! as many of you who read this blog know.  I do my email during the commercials. Getting the NFL channel has really helped!

My point is that we can watch way too much television when we get depressed- in fact, do you EVER watch television when you’re manic?  That’s a great question!

 Julie