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.
In each case, it’s the same weight, but the longer I hold it, the heavier it becomes.’
He continued,
‘And that’s the way it is with stress management..
If we carry our burdens all the time, sooner or later,
As the burden becomes increasingly heavy,
We won’t be able to carry on. ‘
‘As with the glass of water,
You have to put it down for a while and rest before holding it again.
When we’re refreshed, we can carry on with the burden.’
‘So, before you return home tonight, put the burden of work down. Don’t carry it home. You can pick it up tomorrow.
Whatever burdens you’re carrying now,
Let them down for a moment if you can.’
Here are some great ways of dealing with the burdens of life:
* Accept that some days you’re the pigeon,
And some days you’re the statue.
* Always keep your words soft and sweet,
Just in case you have to eat them.
* Always wear stuff that will make you look good
If you die in the middle of it.
* Drive carefully. It’s not only cars that can be
“Recalled” by their maker.
* If you can’t be kind, at least have the decency to be vague.
* If you lend someone $20 and never see that person again,
It was probably worth it.
* It may be that your sole purpose in life is simply to be kind to others.
* Never put both feet in your mouth at the same time,
Because then you won’t have a leg to stand on.
* Nobody cares if you can’t dance well.
Just get up and dance.
* When everything’s coming your way,
You’re in the wrong lane.
* Birthdays are good for you.
The more you have, the longer you live.
* You may be only one person in the world,
But you may also be the world to one person.
* Some mistakes are too much fun to only make once.
* We could learn a lot from crayons… Some are sharp, some are pretty and some are dull. Some have weird names, and all are different colors, but they all have to live in the same box.
*A truly happy person is one who can enjoy the scenery
on a detour.
Have an awesome day and know that someone has thought about you today….
**
I feel I could take each one of these truisms and talk about how they apply to bipolar!
Julie
Hi Julie,
I have decided that I will embark on a speaking career about my journey with schizoaffective disorder. Can you give me any suggestions on how to get started?
Thanks,
Dawn
Hi Dawn,
I just answered your question as a blog post. It will be the first post today. In the future, you can type in Schizoaffective Disorder and Toastmasters to find the answer.
Julie
Thanks for this.
I just started a stress leave from my teaching job this morning. I was so not wanting to, but the office politics, not the kids, are becoming increasingly hostile, aggressive and stressful. I didn’t want the boss to win, and take the time off, but my dr. said the physical and emotional toll is starting to get too bad, and we don’t want to risk a severe episode of either mania or depression. I think I have been gearing up toward mania, with visions of revenge, justice etc for the bullying that is going on at work.
But I am realizing that regardless of how I want things to be, and how strong I want to appear, I have been holding the glass too long already and need a break, before I can address the toxic working environment. It sometimes takes more courage and strength to put the glass down, than to keep holding it.
Hi, Christine,
It sounds like you’re doing exactly what you should be doing – taking care of yourself! And if that means staying home and sleeping in, not writing lesson plans or grading assignments for a while, so be it. That can wait – but sometimes we can’t.
I’m a teacher, too, and in the past have taught at two schools where the bullies weren’t the kids – they were principals or colleagues. I bet we could exchange some horror stories! However, I was fortunate to have been encouraged to attend a speaking engagement featuring Rick Lavoie, a well-known educator who works with students who have learning disabilities. That visit turned into a weekday visit, which led to the school hiring me. That was five years ago. The school is amazing! My colleagues are amazing, as are the supervisors, the kids, everything! The administrators even know I have bipolar disorder!
I hope you will have the good fortune of finding a supportive, life-enhancing school for you to teach at, too. They are out there, but I think we have to be incredibly selective, and enter the interview process as if we are actually interviewing the principal.
So, while you are home, take time to relax and heal. Maybe there is someone who can offer you much-needed TLC. Read a “fun” book – nothing about education!
When you feel ready, perhaps you could ask for input on surviving this tough year from a teacher you trust, or a professor of education at a local college. At the university I’m attending, people can just sit in on a class for a very low fee, simply to learn the information. I know there are classes here for handling behavior problems.
You can also keep written records of incidents regarding the school staff – date, time of day, and brief note explaining what happened. The school district’s administrators probably already know about what is happening, but sometimes it takes one person with the specifics to explain it to them. I did this, and the bully of a principal I once worked for is no longer a principal – ever again. She still works for the district, but in a capacity far removed from teachers. Change can occur!
Good luck this year. One day at a time!
Sincerely,
Sandra
Hello Sandra,
Thank you for your invaluable comments. I often stress the work aspect of managing the illness and it’s so important to remember that school is the same as going to work! You are such an inspiration – to myself and I know to the readers as well. I have so many work ideas I want to follow (such as adding profiles to the blog!)- and it’s hard to let them go when I am having mood swing trouble. But as you point out- we just keep going day by day and things eventually get done. It’s true! Julie
Julie
I have found over the last five years the anxiety aspect of my bipolar has done nothing but escalate. i have been diagnosed for thirty years and the treatment has rely evolved during these years. My last bout of anxiety ended up with me being hospitalized, it was the only place that i felt safe from myself and others around me. the locked doors where soothing to me. I have been given about ten different means of trying to calm down the anxiety and they just don’t bring it down to a managable level. I don’t know what is making me anxious and am beginning to believe i’m spinning this in my head and driving myself crazy. do you have any suggestions.