Blog Feed: me plus bipolar

I wish I had the internet...

Published on 2011-06-26 23:02:00

I wish I had the internet when I first started feeling depressed. Back then, in the early to mid-nineties, it didn't exist in the way we know it now. Maybe as a pre-teen and teen I wouldn't of used it in the way I do now. And as someone who was bulli

Refusing to see mentally ill patients because they cost too much

Published on 2011-06-22 22:35:00

I saw my GP the other day for the first time since he moved from one medical practice to another. I found out why exactly he moved to the new practice. I'll call him Dr. M otherwise it will get a little repetitive saying 'he' all the time.Dr. M was a

What happens when you see a doctor for the first time about a mental health issue?

Published on 2011-06-19 07:07:00

Several people have found my blog via a google search about what happens when you see a doctor for the first time for a mental health issue. I've not explicitly written about this before and thought it might be a good idea.For me, it was the hardest

Momsense: Guest Blogger

Published on 2011-06-18 04:39:00

I am very excited to present my first guest blogger today! The honour goes to Sheri who blogs at Reality Hide and Seek. You can also find her on twitter. Please show some support and leave a comment!Momsense is the nonsense we mothers of m

Exhaustion & Apathy

Published on 2011-06-16 23:53:00

I thought I'd post a quick update since it's been a while since I posted.At the moment I'm exhausted. I've been alternating between apathy and depression for a couple of weeks and consequently have no attention span or ability to concentrate whatsoev

I'm now on Facebook!

Published on 2011-06-07 03:51:00

I have decided to jump on the facebook bandwagon and have created a facebook page for me plus bipolar.I hope to make it a great place where we can share thoughts, experiences and information.If you have an interest in bipolar, depression, and is

Can you help out? Faces of mental illness

Published on 2011-06-06 07:52:00

I would like to ask if some of you are willing to help out with a little project.Melissa from Sugar Filled Emotions will be creating a blog post titled "These are the faces of mental illness."The aim is to show the public that people with a mental he

What depression can teach us about simple living

Published on 2011-06-05 02:37:00

Over the past few years there has been a considerable shift in thinking towards what some call the 'slow movement'. Standing back from your life and evaluating what you can do differently; how you can slow down and enjoy life more, whilst living with

Living by one of my values

Published on 2011-06-03 23:26:00

Something which has made the biggest difference to me over the past six months is learning about my values and how to live a life guided by such values. I will be dedicating a post to this soon, but thought I would share a little about one of my valu

Wordless Wednesdays

Published on 2011-05-31 22:32:00

Well sort of wordless. It's the first day of winter here and the weather is horrible, so I thought I'd dig out one of my photos from last summer as a reminder that the weather can be nice and warm!

Seroquel and Life's Lessons

Published on 2011-05-30 06:12:00

It's been a week since I last posted and in this time I've been just been making some small updates to different sections of the blog, adding some more quotes and a lot more resources, updating my blogroll, and the like. Have a look and let me know i

Journal entries from my 12 year old self

Published on 2011-05-24 04:26:00

Image adapted from Flickr Creative CommonsI've started to re-read Creative Journal Writing by Stephanie Dowrick hoping to find some more gems of wisdom to help with blogging, as it has been a couple of years since I first read it. It has sparked

Some Dangers of Complimentary and Herbal Medicines

Published on 2011-05-23 08:43:00

Firstly I would like to point out that I am not against complementary and alternative medicines/therapies (CAMs). There are in fact some that I use, and if you look at the list below there is probably even one or more you have tried. For this I am re

Indoor Plants

Published on 2011-05-20 09:33:00

Some alternative therapies are becoming quite common as people look for ways to relieve their symptoms. From acupuncture, homeopathy, aromatherapy, Bach Flower Remedies, naturpoathy, to reiki or bodywork, and goodness knows what else. Some of these s

Stigma and Self-Stigma - Mental Health Month Blog Party

Published on 2011-05-18 02:23:00

The month of May is Mental Health Month in the US and on May 18 the APA (American Psychological Association) hosts a Mental Health Blog Party. This will be my second year blogging at the 'party' and I have decided to write something about stigma.&nbs

Psychiatrist Appointment

Published on 2011-05-17 05:42:00

Today I finally had the long-awaited psychiatrist appointment. He thinks that I have been 'pushing' myself into hypomania (not counting theSeroquel-induced episode). Not intentionally of course. He said it’s quitecommon for people with a high need

more blah

Published on 2011-05-12 06:29:00

Sorry for another negative post...As I expected, I hit the depression side of things after my hypomanic episode last week, so I've not really been all that well. I finally get to see my psychiatrist next Tuesday and it couldn't come sooner. I've actu

Introducing LeBella!

Published on 2011-05-08 21:43:00

I would like to introduce you all to LeBella. I recently came across her blog, Silly-licious Princess and think it is just beautiful.LeBella is only ten years old but deals with paediatric bipolar disorder, aspergers, ADHD, and the usual trials and t

Me-time, relaxation and meditation

Published on 2011-05-08 04:54:00

One of my favourite places to go for me-timeAs I mentioned earlier, I woke up feeling a lot better today than I have over the past few days.I went out this afternoon to enjoy the warmth of the almost-winter sun. The neighbours were having a large par

Thank you

Published on 2011-05-07 22:51:00

Thank you to those of your who replied to my post yesterday, either in the comments or by private message. I guess I've had a lot going on lately, perhaps more than I realised and it actually felt good to do a bit of a brain-dump/mini-meltdown, even

Hypomania-depression-hypomania-please not depression next

Published on 2011-05-07 02:43:00

Over the past few days, I am quite sure I have been hypomanic. I'm not entirely sure if I am over it just yet.The last month has been a bit of a roller coaster ride. After a year off because of illness, I started back at uni at the beginning of the y

Out of Seroquel...

Published on 2011-05-03 05:19:00

I'm currently at the tail end of a bad patch. It certainly wasn't helped today. First I realised that I needed a new script for Seroquel. I thought I had another repeat. My next appointment with my psychiatrist is two weeks away. Way to go me. I'm us

Catching Up

Published on 2011-05-01 08:23:00

Wow! It's been seven months since I last posted. Various things have happened, I've been up-ish and down, and even okay. I'm back at uni (again - I might actually finish one day), blah, blah, blah.In the time since my last post a few of you have left

Why the Lotus flower?

Published on 2011-05-01 07:11:00

The lotus flower is a traditional Buddhist symbol of purity. A lotus is born from the mud at the bottom of a lake but blossoms above the water as a stainless flower that brings pleasure to all who behold it. From Introduction to Buddhism:

Psychologist Appointment & Mood Management Stimulation

Published on 2010-09-23 09:47:00

Last Wednesday was the second appointment with my new psychologist. She asked what I had thought after the last session and I began to mention that I had looked up Social Rhythm Therapy to find out some more. This was greeted with a confused look. Mu

Is Mental Illness actually a Physical Illness?

Published on 2010-09-23 00:21:00

I was feeling a little sick the other day, and when I went to say that, I had to add that it was 'physically' sick, otherwise people who knew about my bipolar would of thought I meant I was mentally unwell.I find it interesting that when the average

Thinking, thinking, thinking

Published on 2010-09-21 15:30:00

I'm sitting here feeling physically ill. Not really bad, just an upset tummy. I feel unmotivated. I know I have to have a shower and do a load of washing before my appointment but I really don't feel like it. I haven't achieved much today. Although I

Stream of Consciousness

Published on 2010-09-20 22:53:00

The battle with bipolar. Image from hereTime for some rambling, I have no idea where this will go...Because so many of my recent posts have been more informational than reflective, I was starting to think that I was getting too far away from a large

Some Small Bloggy Changes

Published on 2010-09-20 08:06:00

I've made a few small changes to my blog over the past couple of weeks, hence my (almost) absence from posting.A problem I have noticed with Blogger, is sometimes when you are working on a large post or page, somewhere between saving, editing and spe

Being 'okay'

Published on 2010-09-19 22:27:00

The feeling of being 'okay' does not imply that the person has risen above all his faults and emotional problems. It merely implies that he refuses to be paralised by them.I love this quote and think it is something that many people could try to reme

What is Social Rhythm Therapy?

Published on 2010-09-16 21:40:00

An example schedule (not mine!) Click to enlargeLast week when I saw my new psychologist, she asked if I knew about social rhythm therapy. I had heard the name but had no idea what it actually involved. She briefly mentioned that it was about the imp

Exercise your mood

Published on 2010-09-14 01:18:00

Image from here.September and October is a busy time for awareness days, weeks and months relating to mental health and illness.This week is Exercise Your Mood Week hosted by the Black Dog Institute.There is an abundance evidence which suggests that

Psychologist and psychiatrist appointments

Published on 2010-09-10 22:34:00

Image from here.Yesterday I had two appointments, first with a psychologist, and after with my psychiatrist.It was my first appointment with this particular psychologist. I have seen a psychologist and a couple of councillors in the past, and this wa

World Suicide Prevention Day

Published on 2010-09-10 07:23:00

Once again, it is World Suicide Prevention Day. A day which is dedicated to raising awareness about all aspects of suicide. Of particular importance is educating people to recognise signs in themselves or others, and to get help. It is a taboo subjec