Saturday, August 27, 2011

The Battlefield Of Our Own Soul

Think of the many times a day that negativity arises. You are cut off in traffic and a little light goes off in the back of your brain. You seethe and seek to retaliate. Your blood pressure rises. Your heart beats faster. This is not what the doctor recommends when he says give your heart some exercise! Wouldn't it be wonderful if such disruptions never occurred? It can happen, of course. It is entirely up to us. We decide if violence and anger will control us, or peace and love. No one has to describe the benefits of living a life of peace over one of war. It is the same on the battlefields of the world and in the battlefield of our own soul. It is just that we must always fight for a positive view point, if we're caught in that vicious cycle of bipolar disorder.

Sunday, August 21, 2011

Point Yourself In A Positive, Empowered, Fulfilling Direction

Negative momentum can be powerful. Yet the moment you commit yourself to a positive perspective, that negative momentum is gone. Perhaps you could stop worrying and complaining about the fact that your day, your week, your month or your life has gotten off to a bad start. Use this moment right now to interrupt the pattern and point yourself in a positive, empowered, fulfilling direction.

Your past has brought you where you are, and yet it does not dictate where you can now go. Make the choice to point all of your life in the direction of your dreams.
Even though you may have experienced great difficulty in getting started, choose now to be thankful for those difficulties you have gone through. Be thankful for the strength they have enabled you to build, and make positive use of that strength going forward.

This time, this moment is different, because now you're in complete control and determined to make it great.

Friday, August 12, 2011

Management of the Emotional Impact of Fear.

Everyone has experienced feeling afraid of something. Fear has a legitimate function since it alerts us to something that could possibly be harmful. Usually, we are able to assess the situation and see if there is any real danger, then take steps to deal with the problem. However, sometimes our fear interferes with the activities of daily living. We may have a restless sleep, difficulty concentrating or loss of appetite. This is often frustrating because we think of our fear as unrealistic but remain hampered by it.

Management of the emotional impact of fear takes time and involves different feelings. While we know there is a wide range of common, normal reactions to experiences of fear, we also know that each person may not have exactly the same feelings or reactions. Sometimes feelings can change quickly or seem to go from one extreme to another. Try to be understanding of yourself and those you care about, and recall that you may not have the same feelings, or have them at exactly the same time. Reactions may be cognitive, physical, behavioral or emotional. Fear reduction takes time, but will take place when you provide adequate self-care, and elicit support.

Saturday, August 6, 2011

Recognize That It Is Simply Is "Aware".

You are the real you. When suffering from anything - mental, physical, or emotional - we become absorbed by that state of being. However, the mind sometimes barks at the situation - all the self-talk we are familiar with - expressing its frustration at this current reality. The mind remembers the good, the bad and the ugly, but mostly compares. Why am I like this now, when I was amazing before? It knows, and shows, and the emotion kicks in as frustration begs for release and freedom from this painful reality. Sounds familiar of bipolar disorder?

When all the storms of your condition overwhelm you, have you ever noticed another aspect of yourself? It just sits there, another voice that speaks silently in awe, wonder, sadness, love, or curiosity and surrenders to your choice. However, when we are quiet with it, we recognize that it simply is “aware”.