Bipolar Frustrations » Hallie’s Thoughts http://bipolarfrustrations.com Thu, 17 May 2012 03:02:49 +0000 en hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3 On Medication…. http://bipolarfrustrations.com/medication/ http://bipolarfrustrations.com/medication/#comments Wed, 14 Dec 2011 20:00:36 +0000 hallie http://bipolarfrustrations.com/?p=37 I’m finally starting to feel better in some ways. I’m able to get up and move around, spend time with friends and family and even take some time for myself with out getting really depressed or having a mood swing. My medication was upped so that has something to do with it. In truth, I hate taking the pills and sometimes it’s a struggle to get myself to take them. “I feel better so I don’t need them,” I think to myself.  However I know things don’t work that way. I am beginning to look at medication differently.
Do you think someone that needs to take heart medication everyday is weak? What about insulin dependent diabetics? They can go on to lead a normal life. And so can I!
For some reason society has a negative connotation of those that take psychoactive medication. And I have found myself buying into that hook, line and sinker. It is as if taking pills to make your brain chemicals stable masks the real you. This is not the case. I am turning my thinking around and you should too.

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]]> http://bipolarfrustrations.com/medication/feed/ 0 Balance http://bipolarfrustrations.com/balance/ http://bipolarfrustrations.com/balance/#comments Tue, 17 Feb 2009 20:35:34 +0000 hallie http://bipolarfrustrations.com/?p=33 “The drugs make you numb.” How often I’ve heard people tell me this.  But when I’m not on them they say, “You’re overly emotional, pull yourself together.”  I can’t win, and I know I’m not alone.  Balancing one’s mental health and life is like walking on a tightrope, granted life is like walking on a tightrope in general, only with mental illness thrown in, it’s kind of like walking the same tight rope carrying a dozen eggs *one’s sanity at the moment* in a wind storm.
I have found that I can fortify myself against this wind storm by adding a routine and structure to my life. Going to bed at the same time every night seems like a real drag sometimes. And when that is the case I just get up at the same time in the morning instead. Being a student it is sometimes difficult to find the structure you would working a day job. I schedule early morning activities to get me up and out of the house.
On eating, I have found that eating a balanced diet helps to stabilize my moods. I try to eat at regular intervals in the day, maybe not a meal but at least a snack to keep my body running. I have noticed that when I start to feel paranoid like everyone is out to get me; I probably just need to drink more water. I crave sugar intensely right before a mood swing or illness. I do not necessarily deprive myself of these cravings but I acknowledge them and take better care of myself at the same time. Everyone’s bodies are different. My triggers may not be the same as yours. I have found a food diary very helpful in figuring these things out as quickly as possible. The more balance I can put in my life the more balance I can enjoy in my head.

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]]> http://bipolarfrustrations.com/balance/feed/ 2 Damage Control http://bipolarfrustrations.com/damage-control/ http://bipolarfrustrations.com/damage-control/#comments Mon, 26 Jan 2009 21:05:10 +0000 hallie http://bipolarfrustrations.com/?p=21 I hate it when you can feel yourself starting to have a mood swing you can’t do anything about. It’s like frost, starting at the edges of your consciousness, slowly working its way across your mind till you’re blind and the mood swing is all there is. Sometimes one can fight it and win, but sometimes there’s not a damn thing you can do about it other than damage control. Not a damn thing, and that’s a terrible feeling… knowing you can’t do anything… It’s like struggling in quicksand, it only draws you in faster.  But unlike quicksand, one can’t escape a bad mood swing by not struggling, either way one gets pulled down deep and can’t escape until the quicksand decides when to let go.

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]]> http://bipolarfrustrations.com/damage-control/feed/ 1 Change of Plans http://bipolarfrustrations.com/plans-change/ http://bipolarfrustrations.com/plans-change/#comments Fri, 23 Jan 2009 21:08:02 +0000 hallie http://bipolarfrustrations.com/?p=20 Mood swings suck, especially when you can feel them coming on and you can’t do a darn thing about them. Then everything you had in store for the day has to be altered. I am in the midst of feeling another mood swing come on. I wish I knew better coping skills.

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]]> http://bipolarfrustrations.com/plans-change/feed/ 0 Depression at the moment http://bipolarfrustrations.com/depression-at-the-moment/ http://bipolarfrustrations.com/depression-at-the-moment/#comments Fri, 23 Jan 2009 01:46:50 +0000 hallie http://bipolarfrustrations.com/?p=17 Thought of the day,

Depression sucks, as does the feelings of inadequacy and isolation that go along with it.  It’s so hard to get up and do anything, like walking through taffy, living like this is so draining and so hard, even the simplest thing can be exhausting. Then there is the fear of people not understanding, of being judged or of being written off that causes me to keep to myself when I’m feeling depressed. It’s a vicious cycle that one knows reaching out or doing something will break, but it’s so hard to do, so simple to do, so intimidating to do.  Support and understanding, but not enabling, from family, friends and, most importantly yourself, is key in getting through a depression. Every time it happens is different though, sometimes it’s easier than others to pull yourself out of it. Hopefully this round of depression will be easier than harder to get out of.

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]]> http://bipolarfrustrations.com/depression-at-the-moment/feed/ 0 A little about this site http://bipolarfrustrations.com/a-little-about-this-site/ http://bipolarfrustrations.com/a-little-about-this-site/#comments Wed, 21 Jan 2009 23:09:27 +0000 hallie http://bipolarfrustrations.com/?p=3 First off, this site isn’t going to give you all the answers to bipolar or the depression that goes with it. This site is about life with bipolar and how I and others have learned to cope with it’s up and downs. This site is about support, sharing information and communicating in a safe and space. The goal of this site is to help people with this disorder, including myself, get help, help themselves, learn better coping mechanisms and learn how to live life not ruled by a chemical imbalance.

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