Archive for October, 2008
Sunday, October 26th, 2008
As you may have heard me say a million times in the past, I get a lot of inspiration from professional athletes. They are unique in the world in that their minds must be completely under control in order for them to be successful at such a high level. Here is an example. The world series of baseball is going on these days – the pitcher on the mound tonight had a fight with his catcher earlier in the year. This of course is not ok in the multi million dollar world of professional baseball.
So the pitcher saw a famous sports psychologist named Ken Ravizza and learned to get his mind under control so that he could use his physical talents to win games. Here is what the psychologist said:
“It’s not like an elite-level athlete is messed up and we’re going to fix him,” Ravizza said. “It’s about what it takes to be great. The mental game is such a big part of it; you have to develop it like the physical game.
“It’s not about feeling great. It’s about learning to be comfortable being uncomfortable. You’re going to be uncomfortable. You’re going to feel pressure. If you think you’re going to be relaxed and mellow, you’re kidding yourself. The difference is embracing it.”
That’s what I’m learning about bipolar disorder. I control as much as I can and I’m exponentially better than I have ever been, but I still have a lot of serious mood swings. I’m just learning to live with some of the uncomfortable thoughts I have to go through while I manage the illness. I will have this illness for the rest of my life. I work hard every single day to stay stable, but on some days, like today- I just have to deal with some really uncomfortable thoughts and do what I can to get better. I can do it!
Julie
PS: I am going to read Ravizza’s book Heads Up Baseball and see what I can learn about myself. I also highly recomend A Champion’s Mind by Pete Sampras.
Tags: , , athletic bipolar, bipolar affective disorder, bipolar athletes, bipolar illness triggers, bipolar triggers, depression triggers, mania triggers, negative triggers, sports and bipolar, triggers, Triggers, what triggers bipolar disorder
Posted in Bipolar Treatment Tips | No Comments »
Saturday, October 25th, 2008
Here is the information on my next teleseminar.
http://www.juliefast.com/teleseminars.php
I always have a tough time when the weather gets dark- and I certainly have to have a plan to make sure the holidays are fun and not lonely and stressful! I hope you can join me when we talk about these issues!
Julie
Tags: bipolar child, bipolar family, bipolar family members, bipolar help family, DBSA Julie fast, family bipolar disorder, family education, family with bipolar, Get It Done When You're Depressed, julie fast, loving someone with bipolar disorder, manic depression, mother father bipolar help, Take Charge of Bipolar Disorder, teleseminar
Posted in Depression | No Comments »
Saturday, October 25th, 2008
Testiness and Bipolar Disorder
Some people are just hard to be around. They are snappy, opinionated, sarcastic, and sometimes mean. I have met them! It’s often a personality trait. This means they were born that way and will probably remain that well unless something or someone pushes them to change.
A personality trait is very different from a bipolar disorder symptom. People always say- “Julie, all of us must have a form of bipolar disorder.” I’m sure I’ve written about this in the blog- but there is a difference. All of us have certainly had bad moods where we are testy when someone even looks at us the wrong way. When a person has a testy personality they tend to be constant in their behavior. If you piss them off, they let you know and you can expect it. This is a good thing as you can then make the decision of you want to have them in your life.
Bipolar disorder testiness is 100% different because it’s episodic and often takes people by surprise. In other words, it’s not the person’s personality. It’s the product of an illness. This doesn’t excuse it! But it does offer an explanation. When I’m in an irritation downswing, a box that I trip on can get kicked across the room while I yell at it. Whereas when I’m in a stable mood, I can trip on a box and then just move it out of the way. This is not a personality trait.
When I’m in an irritation downswing, people are extremely irritating and I can’t believe how stupid they are! It goes on and on.
This was one of the first things the Health Cards taught me- people don’t like angry people and considering that bipolar makes you testy and easily pissed off – you had better learn to control it!
So I did. If you look at my anger/irritation Health Card you can see what I did. I still get in these moods and they are still bipolar disorder related, but they no longer wreck my relationships and people actually do want to be around me!
Julie
Tags: anger, bioplar disorder, bipoalr success, bipolar anger, bipolar disordrer triggers, bipolar irritation, bipolar stability, bipolar succes, bipolar triggers, bipolr triggers, julie fast, Julie Fast Radio Show, manic depression
Posted in anger | 2 Comments »
Friday, October 24th, 2008
Most people with bipolar disorder experience anxiety symptoms. I recomend the book: The Idiot’s Guide to Controlling Anxiety by John Johnston.
I learned SO much from this book.
Did you know there are seven forms of anxiety inluding general anxiety and OCD!
This book is good for a general audience as it can help explain your behaivor or that of someone you love- as anxiety is pretty wide spread here in the States!
julie
Tags: , anti depressants, anxiety, biplar medications, bipolar anxiety, bipolar disorder medicatinos, bipolar mania, bipolar manic, Bipolar Medications, drugs, Klonopin, manic anxiety, manic episode, medications, medications for depressoin, medications to treat bioplar disorder, Zyprexa
Posted in anxiety | No Comments »
Friday, October 24th, 2008
A note to my brain: Please leave me alone!
I recently found myself in a fun and interesting situation with a guy that was simply a mild flirtation. As you may know, I gave up dating almost exactly a year ago and I have not regretted it once. I have definitely felt a bit lonely, but it calmed my brain down so that I could work. My brain doesn’t handle flirting at all. Not even 1%. It starts to do strange things. It talks and talks and won’t stop. What it says is not real. It’s a lot of conjecture and fantasy. It’s chattering away every minute and it affects my ability to concentrate.
Sure, other people go through this. I’ve asked them what it’s like in their brains when it’s happening. They explain that they find themselves thinking about the person when they hardly know them and that sometimes they feel silly- and then I say, “Yes, that’s what I feel too- now multiply what you feel by 100% and you will know the hell my brain puts me through.”
I definitely want a relationship in the future, so I know that one day I will have to get through this. In the past, I always met people and went into relationships super fast. I will never do that again, so it means my brain is going to be a rollercoaster. I am preparing myself!
I’ve actually had experiences where my brain goes so much into overload that I feel like I’m living in a white haze. Whether it’s euphoric or dsyphoric, it’s awful.
It’s human to want companionship- but it’s also human to want fulfilling work. Right now I have to choose work. I’m able to do more these days than in my entire life. It’s because I follow my Health Cards program rigidly, especially my relationship card. I’m willing to give up the things that make me ill, no matter how wonderful they can be.
For today, I just want my brain to leave me alone so I can work.
Julie
Tags: Bipolar, bipolar affective disorder, bipolar depression, Bipolar Disorder, bipolar disorder dating, bipolar disorder relationship problems, bipolar disorder sex, Bipolar Help, bipolar illness, bipolar mania, bipolar questoins, Bipolar Treatment Tips, bipolar triggers, bipolarhappens.com, bp magazine, dating help bipolar, DBSA, Get It Done When You're Depressed, julie fast, juliefast.com, loving someone with bipolar disorder, manic depression, manic episode, NAMI/DBSA, relationship help bipolar, Relationships, Take Charge of Bipolar Disorder, www.bipolarhappens.com, www.juliefast.com
Posted in About Julie, Bipolar Treatment Tips, Relationships, ocd | No Comments »
Thursday, October 23rd, 2008
I sometimes get in moods where it really feels like I need to just get rid of everything I own. It all seems to crowd me. It can be odd stuff- such as not being able to stand having a dresser in my room so I throw all of the clothes on my bed and put the dresser outside.
My family is used to this. They have gotten sneaky. When I say that I have to get all of the bowls out of my kitchen, my mom will help me put them in a bag and then keep them in her basement. Sometimes a year later I will suddenlly miss my bowls and she will tell me where to find them.
If you don’t have bipolar disorder, you’re probably thinking- Julie is super weird!
Well, bipolar is weird! Right now I have the huge desire to get rid of all of my food in the kitchen. I have so many eating issues and I can just feel how the food is taking up too much space. It’s filling my brain. My brain is telling me that things would be a lot easier if I literally got rid of everything in the kitchen and started over.
When I tell these stories, most people have some of there own! When I’m manic it’s especially bad as I have a lot of energy behind the desire.
I try to be reasonable when I get like this. If it’s something that’s really bothering me such as having too many socks in my closet- I can leave that alone- but if I feel there are too many books on the shelves, I let myself put all of them in a bag and store them somewhere. I feel a lot better. I’ve learned not to put them in my car and take them to Goodwill like I have done in the past.
I have learned to compromise. I wonder if you have ever gone through this!
My sister in law would laugh a lot if she read this as she is the one who often keeps the stuff for me!
Julie
Tags: Bipolar, bipolar affective disorder, bipolar depression, Bipolar Help, bipolar illness, bipolar mania, bipolar questoins, Bipolar Treatment Tips, bipolar triggers, bipolarhappens.com, bp magazine, DBSA, general bipolar disorder, Get It Done When You're Depressed, julie fast, juliefast.com, loving someone with bipolar disorder, manic depression, manic episode, NAMI/DBSA, Take Charge of Bipolar Disorder, www.bipolarhappens.com, www.juliefast.com
Posted in About Julie, Friends & Family, Newsletters | No Comments »
Wednesday, October 22nd, 2008
Focus, Focus, Focus.
I often space out and float around when things aren’t going well. I’ve learned a simple technique that works. I say, “Focus Julie. Just focus Julie. Focus now. What comes first? Focus Julie.”
This targets my jumbled brain. I can then actually look at something such as a pile of papers and say, “Focus Julie and pick the first step.” Saying this out loud especially helps. It’s better than the thoughts in my head that say I never get anything done!
Julie
Tags: bipolar blog, Bipolar Disorder, bipolar work, bipolarhappens.com, can I work if I have bipolar disorder, Get It Done When You're Depressed, julie fast, julie fast blog, juliefast.com, manic depression work, Work, work issues bipolar, work problems bipolar disorder, www.bipolarhappens.com, www.juliefast.com
Posted in Work | 1 Comment »
