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.
Definitely! This is key I think to anyone who struggles with a mood disorder such as bipolar, depression, anxiety... I think it all clicked for me when a passing stranger told me: Emotions are as clouds across the sky...
ReplyDeleteOnce they pass along the sky is still sunny and blue no matter how stormy it gets. :) We can certainly choose to be "sunny" despite the rainclouds that rage below inside us--to float above the emotion and maintain distance.
Well said! If we choose to pull ourselves in to the positive I believe we attract good things. Yet that is a hard task when you throw bipolar in to the mix. I find myself mostly in the positive, but I am constantly reminded how easy it would be for me to slip down in to the depths of depression. Nothing good comes from there. So, I'll stay in the positive thank you very much!
ReplyDeleteLove...Leslie
I can relate, Dr. Fred. Your entry is beautifully written and has "wisdom" written all over it. I agree with Leslieu that sometimes its hard for a bipolar to control moods, even with the best medication and psychotherapy/group therapy. Our job is to rise to face the challenge of choosing positive thoughts over negative, and that is the message I am taking home.
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