“A Happiness key: Maintain something to be enthusiastic about. Small/frequent goals = Dopamine hits that propel success.” -- Steve Maraboli I challenged myself today to pick up markers and draw something. After seeing Julie Fei-Fan Balzer working her 100 Day Face Challenge, I figured I might try drawing a face. Here it is. Face #1. Not … Continue reading So this is what it feels like. (Also known as a boost of dopamine).
"Oh Mister Sun, Sun, Mister Golden Sun, please shine down on me!" I have no idea who wrote that song, but I do know Raffi sings it because we listen to it with regularity here in our home. In the past I couldn't deal most days with Raffi. (My mother was a preschool teacher and sang … Continue reading Finally. Sun!
"Others imply that they know what it is like to be depressed because they have gone through a divorce, lost a job, or broken up with someone. But these experiences carry with them feelings. Depression, instead, is flat, hollow, and unendurable...you are irritable and paranoid and humorless and lifeless and critical and demanding and no … Continue reading Blindsided
"In the spring, at the end of the day, you should smell like dirt." -- Margaret Atwood Technically, shouldn’t we smell like dirt as many days out of the year as we can? Putting our hands in the dirt, working the soil, toiling in the garden- whether flower or vegetable- is incredibly therapeutic. It’s proven … Continue reading Dirt
Our wounds are often the openings into the best and most beautiful part of us. -- David Richo Upon receiving my bipolar diagnosis, I viewed my future as a road to recovery. My life going forward was learning how to live differently than I had in my past. I knew I had to change most … Continue reading Therapy
I bought a new pair of running shoes and I'm not a runner. I could go on here about the fact that I used to run 5ks just a few years ago, what a huge accomplishment that was for me, that I stopped after my worst manic episode on record, and now after a few … Continue reading Money
"It was one thing to make a mistake; it was another thing to keep making it." -- Jodi Picoult Mistakes. We’ve all made them. And they stink. If you’re one of the lucky ones and received your bipolar diagnosis young, then you have a lifetime ahead of you to try and do your best to … Continue reading Mistakes
The Bipolar Spirit 