New Year Resolutions for the Bipolar

I have had a difficult time writing resolutions for the New Year. It is difficult to tell where bipolar leaves off and the rest of the population appears. So, I have decided to make lists for both. Sometimes the things we do make no sense to us until after we’ve experienced it. So it is for New Year resolutions. I’m more apt to react to what wasn’t in the picture in the prior year and address them for the New Year than I am for birthing new ideas never before considered. In the present moment lies a truth all too often forgotten in the rush of life. The present moment is the only certainty. As you read the following lists, keep in mind no mind is the goal. Respond to life as it presents itself. Less will put you in the present. In that way you are less reactive and experience (focused) more. Besides, it’s a great way to avoid racing thoughts!

1. Stay on my meds;
2. Continue to pursue anger management solutions.
3. Reduce my impatience responses; less irritability when interacting with others.
4. Accept feedback from others regarding mood shifts, as necessary.
5. Renew my commitment to maintaining structure in my life.
6. Sleep for 7-8 hours per night; get enough sleep.
7. Scrutinize my diet toward the goal of healthy nutrition.
8. Pursue more public speaking to educate about mental illness & reduce stigma.
9. Reduce and minimize ruminating – negative self-talk.
10. Maintain and enhance living in the present.
11. Accept what cannot be changed with less frustration and more acceptance.
12. Spend more time with my family.
13. Keep my priorities straight with family and loved ones: family first, work second.
14. Pay attention to symptoms of burnout. Reduce them through recreation.
15. Stay in touch with my feelings and moods.
16. Do something for myself every day, including sharing with others.

New Year Resolutions for Everyone

1. Learn something.
2. Teach something.
3. Listen openly.
4. Ask for help.
5. Address anxiety when it comes up.
6. Maintain an attitude of gratitude.
7. Let go of bad advice without rancor.
8. Give more freely and frequently.
9. Enjoy.
10. Trust more.
11. Hesitate less.
12. Live more in the present.

Biploar Holidays Revisited

It’s that time of year again; time to get ready for the holidays. Gray skies, falling temperatures, daylight receding into night earlier. Time to take the holiday cheer out of the closet and bedeck the house with it. This is the season for gratitude.

Does this sound like too much of a cliché? We’ve all heard these well-worn platitudes before. For those struggling with mental illness, it can seem like pleas for thankfulness emitted from some goody- two-shoes view of reality. For what should someone with bipolar disorder feel blessed?

I ponder my reply to that last question. What should my response be? Is your medication working? Do you feel like you’re on a roller coaster of ever-changing moods? Do your moods shift between depressive lows and intermittent normalcy; normalcy, which is a reprieve from unending manic excess that gives no thought to the inevitable consequences of feeling too good tomorrow?

Do you have family and friends to gather with, or has your life become an isolated trek through the cold and gloom of a winter-night darkness? Is there any relief for what seems like glib attempts to squeeze one more drop out of a stale appeal for holiday solidarity? Is there an opportunity for genuine caring? My counsel for those afflicted with mental illness is—hope. Gratitude springs from the hope that things will be different, and the activity of that difference can bring change that is satisfying and healing. In short--to care. Too much time spent in expectation of better times with too little perceived results can cause burnout.

Perhaps the one true spirit of the season is to rededicate one’s self. Can we acknowledge what we hope is true? Can we have gratitude for the opportunity to hope anew that life has meaning and our struggle is redeeming? Attitude rules change for the mentally ill and their families who cling to the belief that no matter how fleeting or pervasive their circumstances are, these circumstances are not static, but constantly changing and yielding to the betterment of their lives. This belief puts us in a position to be thankful for what we have. Attitude defines the ability to change. The gains are there to see.

The holiday season can remind us of how much we, as people, have in common with one another, if we pull together. And that can be shared again and again throughout the year.
Happy holidays to all who read this, beginning with a thankful Thanksgiving.

Ten Suggestions for Holiday Survival

1. Focus on what you have, not what you don’t have.
2. Count your blessings; make a list of them.
3. Accept the limitations you currently have creating goals that apply year round.
4. Concentrate your caring outwardly, not inwardly.
5. Encourage an open attitude of tolerance.
6. Avoid isolation by gathering with others.
7. Refute negative thoughts.
8. Meditate on living in the present.
9. Avoid excessive alcohol use.
10. Practice random acts of kindness.