I’m speaking at the NAMI Oregon yearly conference tomorrow. I have a class in the morning and then will speak at the luncheon. The most difficult part of all of this is getting my books, post cards order sheets and travel stuff. I worry that I won’t be able to sleep and that I will get overstimulated. Yada, yada, yada. If I let my mind go no this way, I will go bonkers.
It makes a lot more sense to actually load my car ahead of time and print out what I need. That way I can get to bed early and be ready for the drive. This is not a bipolar thing- it’s a normal speaking thing. It becomes a bipolar thing if I don’t take care of myself now. So I’m going to! It’s human nature that we often worry more than we actually do things. It will only take me a few hours [ Read More ]
Julie, was your plan to adjust your sleep schedule a week ahead of time successful? My BP husband must travel from the West coast to East next month and I have been frantically searching for ways to help him do this without becoming ill. Thank you in advance for your answer!
Karen
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Karen wrote this question in a comment about my blog post on how I deal with time changes now that I can travel again- if you go to the menu on the right, you can click on travel and the post will come up called Traveling to the NAMI Convention in Florida. It helps to read that before you read this post.
Hi Karen,
I always tell people with bipolar disorder to think way, way ahead about time changes when they travel.
Have you ever noticed that when we hear a tragic story about [ Read More ]
I went to the National Alliance on Mental Illness this weekend. It was amazing for so many reasons. First of all, sitting around a table talking about meds, bipolar, schizo affective, OCD, depression and schizophrenia with people who actually have the illnesses was FANTASTIC!
I met new friends and also met a lot of people who had read my books. I will write more about all of the people I met. They have real and very inspiring stories. The workshops were informative! I learned a lot- some of it not too encouraging and some of it very encouraging.
Most of all, this trip was amazing because I was able to actually do it! Going to Florida by myself without getting too sick is a real accomplishment. I spoke to hundreds of people and sold my books. I was able to work and network and remain positive. I had quite a bit of paranoia at times, [ Read More ]
Everyone I know with bipolar disorder has some sort of sleep problem- it’s normal. It’s a bother.
Sleep Tips
- Sleep in a cool room- this can make a huge difference. If you get too hot, you will wake up more.
- Turn off lights one hour before bed and listen to a book on tape by a really low watt light- not a daylight bulb! I actually turned off the light last night and listened to a show on my IPOD. – Have a noise machine such as a humidifier to block out sounds from outside.
- Keep your TV in the living room and definitely don’t watch TV right before going to bed. Not only is it overstimulating, it also emits a bright (blue spectrum) light that is stimulating.
Sometimes when I write these lists I think, this is just all so ridiculous. Why can’t I just be like my friends! They can [ Read More ]
My son, age 33, is bipolar and has made bad choices/decisions. I have tried to assist him over the recent past. The issue is how do I tell whether I am assisting or enabling. I am looking for appropriate support organizations or resources to guide me.
Can you advise me?
Thanks,
R
Hello R,
You can look into the family to family program at NAMI- if you go to www.nami.org you can find a location near you.
My book Loving Someone with Bipolar Disorder is for couples, but it has great info that you can use as well – the issues of caretaking are the same.
BP Magazine at www.bphope.com has a lot of info for families. I write a column for each issue.
My family uses my Health Cards to help me. They are life savers. You can use them yourself whether your son participates or not.
I think you will get a lot out of this radio interview. You can play this right through your computer speakers or download it to your computer or iPod or MP3 player and listen to it later. Just push the arrow to activate the audio. [display_podcast] Enjoy!
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