Monday, November 29, 2010

Bipolar Disorder Treatments- Going 4 A Walk


Thats right! Walking is not just for old people anymore. My grandmother has been telling me to walk for years...shoulda listened.

Going for a walk is very relaxing for your brain, which for us with bipolar disorder is often difficult to achieve. Don't bring an ipod, just walk and think for a little while. Enjoy the fresh air. I get some of my best ideas when i'm walking. I make sure that I get outside for a walk every day.

Its also a good way to burn some calories.

Thursday, November 25, 2010

Mike Wilmot is Hilarious




He is also from Toronto...a helluva town

Warning: if you do not like dirty sex jokes, do not watch these

Mike Wilmot on getting drunk


Comedy festival gala 2009


Mike Wilmot and the "C" word


Mike is also in one of my favourite movies, Its All Gone Pete Tong...check it out.

For more smile therapy go here:

Sunday, November 21, 2010

Art Therapy


I painted this I swear.
My brain wasn't working today; I couldn't work and I wasn't motivated to do anything. So I turned some music on and did a little painting. I feel a lot better now. You don't have to be an artist to paint or even make something cool looking. I didn't even have a plan; I just started painting and went wherever it took me. The hour or so spent painting was an hour that I didn't have to think about anything else. It was great.

Wednesday, November 17, 2010

Bipolar Medication: Its No Fun Being Crazy by Yourself


My little experiment with medcation is over...now I know why they do experimets on mice. I was able to have enjoyable hypomanic highs while being able to manage depressive and irritable moods somewhat, but I was useless when i was hypomanic and I was cycling like crazy. I couldn't work and since i'm too old to be in kindergarten that is a problem. I'm back on the medication full time and now that I am I feel stupid for staying off it for so long. The last couple of days have been great. Perhaps my bipolar mind created some nightmare of me being a lifeless, impotent, boring zombie on medication. It isn't like that at all. I have to sleep 9-10 hours a night and that isn't so bad. I can still play music and enjoy it. I can work withot getting irritated by every little thing that goes wrong. I don't feel as strong physically, but I don't plan on fighting anyone any time soon. I feel like Buddha right now. Hooray for Buddha pills! I'm on Olanzapine (Zyprexa) and it calms my mind down so i can think rationally (be smart) without my emotions getting in the way (being dumb).
p.s. Studies have shown that growing a mustache significantly increases the likelihood of one day being cured.
p.s. You're awesome

Saturday, November 13, 2010

The glass is HAlf fuLL




Yea, bipolar disorder sucks, but think about how much it sucked 1000, 100, or even 50 years ago.


1000 years ago you'd probably be ostracized by your community, tortured/killed, or imprisoned because of your extreme moods. You would not get a 2nd chance.


100 years ago you might get a lobotomy, get no help at all, or have to resort to alcohol or opium as the only things to numb te pain. You'd be an alcoholic or a drug addict and rehab probobly didn't even exist.


50 years ago you might be living in a mental hospital or on medication that doesn't work well, is unhealthy for you and has severe side effects.


Today we have welfare and disability to help us, when in the past you'd just have to work despite your illness or perish.


Today we have health care so you can get to see a doctor for free and get medication for free.


Today more peope know about mental illness than ever. People are beginning to understand and give us a bit of a break.


Today we have a lot of resources to get help and help ourselves. I came across a great site called http://www.depressiondodging.com/ recently for example.


Medicine is getting better and better. Therapy is getting better and better.
We have endless amounts music, and movies, art to inspire us and keep us going.
What i'm trying to say is that it could be worse way worse. Way worse.
Hope you're doing well
Take care

Wednesday, November 10, 2010

Commitment and Results


George is the champ becauase he trains every day.

If you want your condition or your life to improve you need to make a commitment. For example, if you decide to do exercise, or eat healthier, or yoga, or meditation, etc to make you feel better you need to do it almost every day for it to be effective.


If you do it almost every day for a couple months you'll begin to see results.
If you do it once or twice a week you'll get nowhere.


If you do it almost every day for a couple of years you'll get the full effect.
If you do it for a couple of months, then stop for a couple of months and continue to cycle like this you'll get nowhere.


The same rules apply to being successful at school, work, business, etc.


Personally, I have wasted so much energy by giving up too soon and starting all over with something else. I've wanted to do everything and the result is that i've done nothing. You're better off choosing 1 or 2 things that are most important to you and focusing your energy on those every day than trying to do everything. Right now i'm focusing on exercise and music to help me feel better. I know that I am a long way away from where I want to be with these, but i know that if i keep working on them every day i'll get results.


I know its tough to stay focused when you're manic or depressed, but next time you feel like giving up think of how much energy you've invested already and how long it takes to actually get results.


Don't destroy what you've built, keep building.

Wednesday, November 3, 2010

An Experiment with Medication- Week 1


Hey....When I take my medicine every day I am a very sleepy boy.

So i have been taking my meds on an on demand basis. Whenever i feel myself slipping, like when i start to get really stressed out, or really irritated, or i get too many ideas to actually choose or act on any of them, etc, I take the pills for a day or 2. This has been helping me to calm down so I can think rationally about what is going on and make good decisions. So far it has been working great. I have been feeling good all week. I've been experiencing the good feelings of hypomania without slipping into depression, irritability, or destructive hypomania for very long. However, i have also been exercisig regularly and spending time with friends. I don't know if this method of taking medication could work for more severe cases of bipolar disorder. In some cases it might be too dangerous for people to not take their medication every day. Also, the longer you have been taking medication the more difficult it would be to stop.
Hope you're feeling calm and alive.