Welcome Your Emotions

What choice did this little one make to get herself into this situation?

I know that Bipolar Disorder is a mood disorder. I understand that. In my experience, my interpretation of it is that our moods swing from one extreme to the other and are super intense. They mess with our thinking and we make can bad choices. According to the National Institute of Mental Health “Bipolar disorder, also known as manic-depressive illness, is a brain disorder that causes unusual shifts in mood, energy, activity levels, and the ability to carry out day-to-day tasks.” Sounds pretty negative over all. Why would I suggest that you welcome your emotions?

Especially if you are newly diagnosed with bipolar, you probably think I’m nuts for saying this because I assume you do not have your emotions under control. You may be in therapy and are beginning to take medications to control your symptoms. Your doctor may be searching for the right medication or combination of medications to help you the most. Be patient. It will can really and truly get better.

If you’ve been diagnosed and in treatment for a while your emotions are hopefully a bit less bonky and you have some opportunities to feel good. Congratulate yourself and seize these times to live your life to the fullest and prepare for times when things spin out of control.

The emotions I’m talking about are those that are within the “normal” bounds of behavior. Those we have when we’re minding our emotional manners. They are the emotions that we have when we’re fairly stable. These are the emotions that you should welcome. Duh, you knew that already right? Guess what, you can choose to do things that will alter your moods in both positive and negative directions.

Where do you start? Keep your doctor’s appointments and your prescribed medications as they are prescribed. See your counselor or therapist and be willing to change. Be willing to see what’s going on in your head and challenge yourself. If you want to feel better, you have to work. It doesn’t come from a magical wave of an imaginary wand. It comes from you.