For The Bipolar - Stop Blaming The Individual - Instead Blame the Illness.

When the bipolar is ready to handle the fact that they need medical and therapeutic treatment, is when they can rightly blame the illness and not themselves.

Certainly, that’s easier said than done. When a bipolar is in attack mode, we naturally tend to see that person as the attacker. It’s tough to view him/her as merely the instrument of the real, unseen force. We need to stay positive and look beyond the surface reality we’re dealing with to see that it’s the bipolar talking, the bipolar acting out.

When we can see the illness as the underlying problem, we can start doing two things to turn the situation around:

   -Stop making it worse. Blaming the person instead of the illness leads to confrontation which only worsens the situation. Stop pouring emotional fuel on a fire that’s already blazing. When we blame the illness, we take some of the negative emotion out of the equation.

Learning to Act Despite Your Feelings !

I post this for all my followers on FB ..." Biploars: We Support You "

-Why do little children think ghosts, goblins, and monsters are real? As adults, we know they are not. Your thoughts are not "real" either in the sense that you "create" and reinforce them -- and the emotions that go along with them. Your thoughts are only what you decide to believe in and continually reinforce in your mind. (This one is deep – think about this one.) For example, you are sitting alone in the dark in your home. You are down, depressed and thinking negative thoughts. All of a sudden the phone rings and it’s a friend you haven’t talked to in six years. You become alert, your mood picks up, and you have a nice conversation. Then, after you have hung up, you get blue again and fall back into a depressed mood. Why?

Suggestion: Even though we don’t feel it, we have more power over our thoughts than we think. We can decide to stay "up" after the phone call by doing everything we can to keep from slipping back into the quicksand of rumination and despair. (Cognitive-behavioural therapy gives us the tools to move away from anxiety and depression – and eventually to stay or "be" that way.) If your thoughts begin to change, you will feel better.

If you act despite your feelings, your beliefs and emotions will follow behind.

The Impact of Attitude on Life.

Charles Swindoll summarized what is a positive attitude :
"The longer I live, the more I realize the impact of attitude on life. Attitude, to me, is more important than facts. It is more important than the past, the education, the money, than circumstances, than failure, than successes, than what other people think or say or do. It is more important than appearance, giftedness or skill.
The remarkable thing is we have a choice everyday regarding the attitude we will embrace for that day.
We cannot change our past, we cannot change the fact that people will act in a certain way.
We cannot change the inevitable.

The only thing we can do is play on the one string we have, and that is our attitude.
I am convinced that life is 10% what happens to me and 90% of how I react to it.
We are in charge of our Attitudes."

Using Visualization & Self-hypnosis to Achieve a Sense of Calm & Well-being.

Visualization is a form of relaxation therapy in which you visualize comforting images in an effort to relieve stress and anxiety. Combining it with self-hypnosis, you can immerse yourself in the image, closing your eyes and letting all your senses absorb the details your imagination presents. There is not a one-size-fits-all image for everyone---you might visualize a person, a place, an animal, an imaginary scene or anything that gives you a sense of calm and well-being.

Visualization is often accompanied by soothing music that complements your image. The process is meant to be relaxing and empowering at the same time, giving you a way to tap into your inner strength and channel your mental resources to regain a sense of balance. So, with these two techniques, a person with bipolar disorder may minimize their mood changes in a positive fashion.

Building Some "Mind Muscle."

We can now build some “mind muscle” with what Medha Godbole labels as exercises for positive thinking. They say that your thoughts govern your words, which reach the brain and then the brain converts those into action. Hence first things first: we have to guide our thoughts towards something positive if they are tending towards depression and negativity because that will have an impact on how your behaviour is going to be. Visualize a positive image, think about things which make you happy and try and keep the negativity in check.

Liberty is Ours...At Least We Are Free !

The most positive thought for ...Today...“The preservation of the sacred fire of liberty and the destiny of the republican model of government are justly considered... deeply, ...finally, staked on the experiment entrusted to the hands of the American people. Liberty is the possibility of doubting, the possibility of making a mistake, the possibility of searching and experimenting, the possibility of saying No to any authority--literary, artistic, philosophic, religious, social and even political. Every good citizen makes his country's honor his own, and cherishes it not only as precious but as sacred. He is willing to risk his life in its defence and is conscious that he gains protection while he gives...George Washington & Andrew Jackson.

You Are A Thought-Producing Machine !

Your past thoughts are about events that are no longer real. That bad experience happened yesterday (in the past) and is over. It is gone and exists solely in your mind. Today is a new day, a better day, and worrying about the past just dooms us in the present. It is how you process it now that makes a difference.....You are a thought-producing machine. When you realize this, you can begin to slow your thoughts down and allow your anxieties and fears to rest. Your automatic negative thoughts are only thoughts, they are not real, and they do not tell you the truth.