Is it You or the Bipolar Disorder?

"Hi, I'm Londa B. I am a wife, mother, publisher, author, radio host, and mental health advocate. Oh yeah, I'm the chick with bipolar disorder." This is the introduction used when I am in making rounds of various public speaking engagements. After the introduction, I stand to witness how many people draw up, shiver, or whisper about seeing a real life, successful woman speaking to them about her life and all she does while living with bipolar disorder.

In 2008, the diagnosis of bipolar (manic-depressive) disorder was the name I used to label some of my life issues. Soon thereafter, a huge dose of reality slapped half my face off. The awful stigmas associated with mental health issues paralyzed me. After that terrifying moment, I slapped the stigmas back and decided to become an advocate for mental health. No matter the diagnosis, it was going to take a lot on Londa's behalf to make the best life possible.

During the journey to mental wellness, I came to a line, which placed limits on me. The line of 'me, or the disorder' showed itself, and I was challenged to figure out what side of the line I needed to be on. For those of you with bipolar disorder, I am sure you have been cautioned not to over think what is real and not real, for the fear of you possibly going crazy. Huh? I thought I was already in that basket. Seriously, there is truth to that statement. Here are some tactics I use to help prevent me from going over the line.

Take the time to learn who you are. Knowing yourself will help you understand many areas of your life. Know what makes you happy, depressed, upset, withdrawn, and other emotions you may experience.

Take the time to learn as much as you can about your disorder. When you learn everything you possibly can about your disease, you will be successful in knowing its characteristics. Understanding your disease helps you recognize the triggers that can send you over the line. If stress brings on anxiety, it would be wise to participating in a stress relieving activity like yoga. There is a worthy amount of information on yoga, which will prove beneficial in the promotion of good health. Understand that no matter how hard you try, you will still have bad days, so do not place a lot of stress on yourself when you feel you could have done something differently. Episodes come and go, learn from them. The whole idea is to pace your thinking for a better outcome.

Attend support group meetings. If you are shy or uncomfortable with group settings, visit online communities. In those meetings, pay attention to the feelings, thoughts, and actions of others. Listen with an unbiased mind. Think about their actions. Were they right or wrong? Could something differently been done? What were the repercussions? Could the outcome had been different had the response been different? Ask yourself the challenging questions when faced with a situation that has the potential in pulling you across that line. For example, if you know your patience runs thin, try running errands at low peak times. I love going to the grocers late night. The lack of lines or irritating people to deal with makes the shopping trips all the happier. Some of the best learning sessions have come from group meetings, which I still attend today.

Accept responsibly! Do not blame every issue you have on your disorder, while expecting the world to understand and forgive you on each mistake (some repeatedly) you make. If you know you have issues with managing money, take the time to learn money management skills. Stick post-it notes on all your credit cards with cute reminders of, "Do I really need this, where do I stand financially, or can I afford this?" Those cute little posts-it notes saved my life. I'm sure the checker's don't like me when they have to re-stock an entire cart of items, but who cares! I managed to escape a situation, which could have cost me a lot in the end.

We all have to make lifestyle changes in order to live with whatever problems we have. Hopefully some of these techniques will help you in knowing what side of the line is the safe and responsible side.