Solid as a rock

Mountain Morning - Alaska
Originally uploaded by creativity+.

Who do you have in your life that's solid as a rock for you? Perhaps a friend, a spouse, a brother or sister, or a parent. Maybe even one of your children.

Whoever they are, be thankful for these people who give you "real" feedback about how you are doing. And real support when you need it. These are folks who have spent a long time learning about your bipolar, depression, schizophrenia, Attention Deficit Disorder (ADD), or Dissociative Identity Disorder (DID - formerly multiple personality disorder).
They care, they know you through and through.
Take a moment today to write them a "thank you" note. Or simple show your appreciation by buying them flowers, or making a meal for them, or just doing the dishes. . .
They need to know how IMPORTANT they are to your health, well being, and life.

Be Proud of Who You Are

Be Proud of Who You Are - Gay Pride
Originally uploaded by creativity+.

Yesterday, St. Louis held its annual "Gay Pride Parade". How I wish that people who have a mental disorder could someday have a "Chemically Imbalanced Parade". . .
I think we (the Mentally Disordered) are the LAST group to come out of the closet. It will take confronting our society and our culture before the prejudices start to erode away.

How can we expect others to understand and accept us, if we aren't PROUD and accepting of who we are??
How can YOU further understanding and acceptance today?

LIFE - have FUN with it. . .

my two cents for today...
Originally uploaded by megzie212.

Life is not about the destination, but about the Journey. Another way to say it that I've heard as part of a travel commercial is "Getting there is half the FUN".

Yes, we want to be moving forward, seeing the road ahead and knowing our destination. But that focus, without enjoying the scenery passing by is cold, and devoid of joy and life.

Happy Cloud

Happy Cloud
Originally uploaded by creativity+.

Yesterday, I was invited to an african american friend's birthday BASH at Forest Park, in St. Louis. There was free food, drinks of every kind, a disk jockey, and 3 horses for the children to ride !!!
I took a bunch of photos of his friends, and I may post one or two here, with their consent. FUN, FUN, FUN !!!!

(Oh, there were only two other honkies [whites] at the party.) These are the eyes and mouth of one of the kids.

Of course, since I'm in a hypomanic (low-level mania, or elevated mood), I didn't drink any alcohol or drink anything with caffeine or a lot of sugar.

BALANCE - hard to do when up or down

I've been in a Euthymic to HypoManic state for the last 4 weeks. (look up the words, as my mother always said. One of the problems with having a mental disorder is that when I have an UP mood, and are gathering steam, enjoying life, being creative, and getting excited, I have to put a LID on it. Most people can just enjoy excitement. For me, it means a yellow "caution" light. I have to work extra hard to get the sleep I need, to wind down at night, to avoid caffeine, and to keep my BALANCE. At times when I'm UP emotionally, I have to make a plan to maintain my equilibrium. So this is what I came up with this time. . .
One hour of flickr per day, yeah, right !!!

So far this year, (out of 5 1/2 months) I've been DOWN for 3 and UP for 1. That's only 6 weeks of NORMAL. Of course, when I'm down, I don't participate in much of anything.
And when I'm UP, I talk too much and am very wordy, as you can see and verify from this long ENTRY. . ..

=^D

LARGE size version of my BALANCE spreadsheet is HERE: Or simply click on the picture. . .

Sad puppy eyes

Frida.
Originally uploaded by .Marina.

This photo, entitled "Frida", by Marina reminds me of how many ways there are to interpret a certain "look". What emotion do you see here? Is "Frida" tired, uncertain, sad, feeling lost, watchful, or what?

"The Power of Procovery" reminds us on page 177:

"Don't mind-read Don't assume you know what the other person is feeling or what he or she really means."

Fortunately, with a person, we can "check it out" by asking questions, listening more attentively, or summarizing to see if we got it "right".

Getting attention

Me, when I was two or three

 One way to get more attention is to pay attention to your self and to others.

In fact, self-awareness is KEY to any kind of meaningful life. Rather than seeking attention, it's usually best to experience yourself and others as fully as you can.

Rarely, we get TOO much attention. Most of us are not cute any longer. . .The last time I heard someone call me "adorable" was when I was six years old.

Yukon Territory

Yukon Territory
Originally uploaded by creativity+.

You may have thought I was depressed. . . . since I haven't posted for a couple of weeks. Actually, I've been traveling, and, as you can see, surrounded by stunning natural beauty.

One of the problems of being bipolar is that when I start getting excited (like at the beginning of a journey), I have to "guard against" my own excitement. Most people can just enjoy being excited. But as someone who has highs that are "too" high, I have to be watchful, which takes some of the FUN out of it. However, it is so very important for my health and well being that I maintain my awareness of my mood, and manage it carefully. My Psychiatrist and my dear wife, Grace, are some of the "mirrors" I use to make sure I'm seeing my status accurately.

By careful management I was able to get through this travel period without incident. I guarded my sleep and adjusted medicines carefully and with approval my wife and Doctor.

It's worth staying stable, and worth the effort to stay balanced.