I hate to admit it, but I was a bully. It hurts to think about it, so I can only imagine how much it likely affects the two individuals who were victims of my bullying. This is especially true after reading a study by Kings College in London which shows the impact of childhood bullying […]
Perfectionism Increases Suicide Risk
The following excerpts are from Chapter 5 of the “Big Book” of Alcoholics Anonymous and are my favorite part of the book. I relate to them today as much as I did ten years ago when I first got sober: Each person is like an actor who wants to run the whole show; is forever […]
Breakthrough
The following quote is from my most recent blog post: After the blog discussion, [my therapist and I] talked about some short stories I submitted for publication, and other topics writing related. He was grinning through our entire conversation and when we paused he laughed a bit and said, “You are not the same person […]
Unemployable?
“He owns his own business because he believes he is unemployable.” That simple sentence has stuck with me for years. About eight years ago, soon after I was diagnosed, Maurice and I purchased a coffee table book called “Men Together.” The book consists of interviews of male couples who have been together for a significant […]
Walking off Depression
Boy, do I love to walk. More specifically, I love to walk along the beach. Long time readers may recall, at one point that I walked on the beach strand nearly every day. Rarely did a day go by that I hoofed it less than five miles. It was instrumental in helping me lose ninety […]
Fitness Update – Before and After
Why a Fitness Update on a Bipolar Blog? As I remind you with every fitness update, over 80 percent of people with serious mental illnesses, such as schizophrenia, bipolar disorder and major depression, are overweight or obese. Much of this has to do with medicines that reduce the metabolism. This contributes to them dying at […]
Seeking Balance
Generally speaking I’m not a fan of astrology. I guess I’m too cynical. Despite my disbelief, I have to admit my sign describes me with amazing accuracy. I’m a Libra and the symbol for Libras is the scale. Primarily the scale represents our sign because we are always seeking balance and are not very good […]
A Brief History of Bipolar Disorder
Have you had someone ask why they’ve never heard of bipolar disorder? Asked why no one had bipolar disorder when they were younger? Told you that bipolar disorder seems like the flavor of the month? I’ve heard all of the above many times and it’s damned frustrating. It makes me feel like they are invalidating […]
Working With Depression
My Dilemma With Working With Depression I haven’t worked in nearly eight years. I’m not happy about, or sad about – it just is. Well, that’s not entirely true. I do occasionally miss being in the workforce. I miss spending time with co-workers. I miss being productive, but right now is not the time for […]
I Hate Housework!
Recent studies at and Nutrition Research in Australia (C-PAN) gives me a clue as to why I have such a difficult time keeping our home tidy. Researchers found that dusting, vacuuming and scrubbing the bath generate physical health benefits yet the monotony of the menial work brings no mental health rewards. Now I know why […]