It’s the time for presents and shopping. People save money or have a stash set aside especially
for holiday shopping… Spending money can be a lot of fun, but for people with
bipolar it can also be the beginning to the demise. During periods of mania it’s quite typical
for a bipolar sufferer to blow money like a leaf blower blows leaves. It’s a time of fast-paced, grandiose thoughts
when the five-inch towering heels that can only be worn when sitting seem like
the perfect purchase. I’ve been there
and have previously gotten myself in so much debt pursuing the dreams of mania. Thus, during this month of irregular shopping
sprees, I wanted to share how I turned a weakness into a strength.
One is finding and sticking to the proper medication. The proper medication will stabilize your
thoughts and diminish quite drastically periods of mania. Now, I rarely get uncommon bursts of energy
and when I do they are not as strong or as long as they used to be. My thoughts are also not as unrealistic.
Having the right support group, my family really helps me
put things in perspective. At the
beginning, of my treatment I would run my ideas through them and they would
help me sort through the possible goals and objectives and those that were
produced by the mania. Now I am pretty
good at deciphering manic thoughts on my own.
Learning to predict periods of irregular thoughts, I know
that as a woman my meds tend to not work as well during certain days of the
month. Thus, when I am feeling unusually
insomniac I know that not sleeping will bring burst of energy and irregular
thoughts; but I also know the cause and that it will only last a few days. It’s nice understanding that it’s my little
crazy combined with my hormones and that in a matter of days my body will naturally
find balance. I think this is really
important to not beat yourself up during these days of emotional high and lows,
but find comfort knowing that it’s mostly biology to blame (smile).
For taming the shopping, I turned my weakness into a strength
by making it into a hobby. When I am
feeling like a shopping spree I go to the thrift store and blow twenty or
thirty bucks! I go on an archeology
adventure and dig through piles of used donations until I find treasure. Then I bring them home and sometimes I
realize that what I purchased is indeed a useless item to me, but I find that
in the eBay community someone will happily take it off my hands. I would like to go further into this thrift
store shopping and reselling in a future post because I know there’s interest
in this subject, but for now I must say that it’s a great way for me to not get
into debt. I can buy the unwearable
shoes during a manic state for a few bucks and then resale them when the high
wears off for a profit.
There are limits to the things that I can do due to my disability,
but for the most part I try to live a normal life where I am rarely aware that
I have a funny brain. I’ve lived with it
so long that I have learned and continue to learn how to live a life worthy of me
and not one that is defined by bipolar. I
am very blessed to have access to medical care, medications and a support group
in my family; in addition to my friends and faith community. My faith has been a tremendous part of my
recovery and my ability to maintain my sanity, I talk about it here on a
regular basis. Thus, if you find
yourself affected by something out of your control, don’t give up - press on
things will get better.
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