Life's Circle of Life

Did you ever think you'd hear from me again? I had my moments. I sent many prayers to God to either cure me or kill me. I was that sick. I'd been sick since around Valentine's Day or there abouts. I had the most severe virus I'd ever had in my life. I went to doctors, hospitals, clinics, and had tests afters tests all to learn it was something more severe than the Norovirus and very contagious. I was sent home and restricted to bed rest for six weeks.

SIX WEEKS!!!!

This was no vacation illness, either. I was SICK!!!

My poor, darling, blessing of a husband worked full time then came home and took care of me and our dog and our parrot. He attempted laundry, dishes, the kitchen, and meals. I don't know if I can ever thank him enough.

I spent most of the six weeks sleeping. Nearly 24 hours a day. When the doctor declared me well enough to venture forth from the bedroom, I spent the next two weeks huddled in a chair in the living room, mostly sleeping, between taking care of the dog by walking him and entertaining the parrot and attempting to keep food in my shriveled stomach.

Finally, I was well enough to attend church again. Oh, how I had missed church and my church family. Just walking into the doors I and inhaling deeply did my body good. Receiving healing hugs and wondering blessings did more for me than any pill.

I was still so very tired. One of my doctor's suggested a Myers' IV Therapy session. So, I started that. It consisted of six weeks of IV therapy based on a 1960's nutrient mixture by Dr. John Myers. It helped. I increased my dog's walks from once a day to twice a day.

I'm still recovering. I have been slowing adding activities back into my routine as I gain energy. I go to Bible Study every week again, and have recently added my weekly writing class.

I have over 3,000 e-mails to review and file or discard based on their content. I have so many websites, communities, blogs, and other social media sites to return to and let them know I haven't fallen off the face of the Earth.

I also have dropped some activities from my responsibilities plate. I resigned from the Board of Directors of Florida Writers Association. I've curtailed my involvement in the Women Marines Association. I have decided to close WRITECOVERY, INC until I'm at a stronger point in my life and can handle the stress of starting a new business.  And, I will no longer be giving Writing Workshops, so Succeed At Writing will go away. I've suspended my pursuit of becoming a Journal Writing Instructor until I can be strong enough to pursue it full time.

I can't emphasize enough how serious this illness was to my life. And, how much of a struggle recovering from it is going to be. Not just for the "regular" person. But for the "bipolar" person. I have to be so very careful that I don't turn any one thing I do again, into an obsession and become so absorbed into it that I forget about all other things in my life. And, I didn't do that with just one thing. I did that with MANY things.

This illness was a blessing because it helped me stop and realize that I had been so caught up in so many projects I had no life. Now, I am slowing down. Re-prioritizing what is most important. Taking on only those activities that truly fit my life and my family's life.

I truly believe I am following God's will. "Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding." -- Proverbs 3:5

God is clearing my plate for something special and I want to be ready for Him.

Have a blessed day.

Be Joyful onto The Lord and Rejoice

Just writing the word "joy" brings a smile to my face. Look at the word:

J O Y

Doesn't it make you smile as well?

I've been looking forward to writing this post; however a bipolar episode got in the way. I wasn't so joyful then. I was fragile and crying and afraid of the bad voices attacking me. It was anything but a joyful time, but always, in the back of my mind, this blog post hovered. 

Philippians 4:4 "Rejoice in The Lord always; and again I say, Rejoice."

Even through the bipolar episode, I knew God had my back. He guided me through the darkness and through the severe allergic reactions I had to the medication my psychiatrist prescribed to make the bad voices go away and He helped me find security in His word. I handed Him my broken heart and He made me whole.  

Anywhere you look you can find joy. 

A baby's smile

The laughter of a child

The cuteness of a puppy

A loved one's embrace

The warmth of a sandy beach

An unexpected surprise

A good family meal

An answer to a prayer

Quiet moments in God's presence

Worship in church

Embrace the joy!

I know if you look hard, you can find joy in your life, and if you can't, contact me and I will share some joy with you. 

Writer's Resource: 1,000 Key Scriptures Bible Wisdom for Your Life

Image credit: studiom1 / 123RF Stock Photo

Being Happy with Who You Are

 Happiness.

It's elusive, in a mysterious kind of way.

Ask yourself, Are you happy?

What makes you happy? Is it your family? Your career? Your friends? Your pets? All of the above? Something else, entirely?

I thought at one time that to be happy I had to have a great career and work a lot and make lots of money.
Thank God, I don't think like that anymore. I had some serious life lessons that taught me that a great career is not the road to happiness.

My faith is my road to happiness. With faith and trust in God, nothing is impossible. I am a very happy person.

I feel that I live a well balanced life. I don't let stress or other triggers get to me and build up until they spill over into a Bipolar episode. I am diligent about tracking my moods and keeping away from anything that might be a trigger.

I trust in God and follow his Word by reading it every day.

So, how are you going to find happiness in your life? What would you give up so that you could be truly happy?

Do you need to find balance in your life? What could you do to help yourself achieve the right balance in your life?

I "gave up" a stressful career as a Technical Writer and now I write whatever I want. Whenever I want. I've had five novels and two novellas published. I'm currently working on a Bipolar memoir. I set my own schedule. I keep up with several blogs, this one, My Balanced Life and Your Writing Coach.

I have hobbies like doing jigsaw puzzles. They're great for relieving any stress and anxiety.

I have two pets that I adore and give me great pleasure. An American Eskimo dog and Sun Conure parrot.

Best of all, I have the love and support of a wonderful husband who understands and accepts me for who I am.

I am a happy person.

Are you?

Vacations and Time Zone Changes

Officially on vacation and checking in with my blogger buddies. I think the worst thing about vacation besides living out of a suitcase is the time change. I'm here in Arizona. A THREE hour difference from Florida. 

I'm waking up at 3 am thinking it's 6 am in Florida. Then I force myself back to sleep and then I really do wake at 6 am. I can't seem to sleep past 6 here. 

I look at my watch, which I didn't change, and I see the morning mostly gone. 

My pill schedule is all whacked out and my body is trying to get used to the new times I take my bipolar meds. Trying to stay stable with a time change as drastic as this takes careful planning and diligence. 

But bedtime and night meds are the worst. It seems forever until I can crawl into bed. Thank God I've been falling asleep instantly, but it starts all over the next day. 

Does anyone have any suggestions to help with time changes?

Five Minute Friday - Imagine

It's time for the "Five Minute Friday" blogging post. The inspiration comes from Lisa Jo Baker. 

What you do is set your timer for five minutes and write whatever you want according to the prompt Lisa places on her blog every Friday. Then you go back, link your blog and give support to those who posted before you. And, we connect on Twitter with #FiveMinuteFriday.

Ready.

Set.

Go.

Imagine.

Imagine a world with no hate, bigotry, violence, crime. I do. I think about going to that world some day. Not now. I have too much living to do. But, some day. God's promise is a world of everlasting joy. I look forward to everlasting joy and peace. 

But not now.

I'm not finished yet with this world. I'm not finished yet trying to teach it things about me and Bipolar and Anxiety and Post Traumatic Stress Disorder and I'm not finished learning about my children and my grandchildren.

No, not now.

I have so much living left to do. But, I can imagine what life will be like when I get to heaven. Such a wondrous place. Full of love and peace and harmony. The riches of the kingdom all for me. Just for believing in Christ and taking Him into my heart and becoming a child of Christ.

I'm still waiting.

Still living with my husband and our pets. Still enjoying the gifts God has given to me here.

Stop.

Battling a Life Long Disorder

Hello,

My name is Julie Fast and I have bipolar disorder. I was diagnosed with the illness in 1995 at age 31. I created a treatment plan in 1999 that is now used by people all over the world to manage the illness. I have been close to suicide too many times to count and have had destructive manic episodes since the age of 17. I'm the author of Loving Someone with Bipolar Disorder, Take Charge of Bipolar Disorder and Get it Done When You're Depressed. I wrote all of these books when I was depressed and often psychotic.

Bipolar disorder is a rotten illness.

I'm writing you on behalf of a person who cares about you very much. This person has been diagnosed with the illness bipolar disorder and is concerned you may not understand the reality and seriousness of the diagnosis. I hope that reading this letter can open a window of understanding to help you see that although bipolar disorder can look like someone is faking, whining, lying, making excuses, causing you trouble, making waves, being weak or just making it all up, it's not. It's a illness that originates in the brain. It's a physical illness that comes out in emotional ways, which is why it's so hard for people to understand.

Here are some interesting details about bipolar disorder:

- As with any major illness, people with bipolar disorder share the same symptoms- the symptoms are so similar for people around the world that I can list what a person says, thinks and does during certain mood swings without knowing them. This is quite a party trick! Thus, it's not random emotional behavior that causes problems, but a very structured set of symptoms that lead to a bipolar disorder diagnosis.

- Bipolar disorder is under diagnosed because of the reasons you may feel it isn't real- it looks like those of us with the illness just need to get a handle on our emotions! The problem is that we can't without the proper treatment. If we could handle our emotions, then the overwhelming symptoms of bipolar disorder would be easy to manage.

- Bipolar disorder affects an estimated 17,000,000 million people in the US alone. I think this is a ridiculously low number as I meet people with a bipolar diagnosis almost everywhere I go. It's important to get this into perspective- it's estimated that around one million people in the US have HIV/Aids - one million. Compare that to the 17 million who have bipolar disorder. You probably know a lot more about AIDS than bipolar, but the chance of your knowing someone with AIDS is very slim. You already know someone with bipolar disorder and they need your help.

Bipolar disorder has killed far, far more people in the US than AIDS.

- Bipolar disorder as an illness has not increased in the past 50 years, but there is a lot more awareness these days which makes it seem like doctors are going crazy with the diagnosis! Awareness is a good thing- the diagnoses are real.

- I write treatment plans and can't survive without one, but there is a fact that no one with the illness can deny:
Without medications, the life quality for a person with bipolar disorder is very, very low.
This means that most people with bipolar disorder need medication treatment. Just as people with cancer need chemotherapy.

- All people with bipolar disorder will struggle with relationship issues, work problems, physical health, parenting, cooking, going to school, thinking, traveling, etc, etc at some point in their lives. We all get overwhelmed very easily. Our struggles, as you may have noticed are far more emotional and often out of control than what is considered the norm.

- Anything that causes an emotional response can lead to a bipolar disorder mood swing. Think of it this way- if our lives are a teeter totter- with our stable selves in the middle, we all have to struggle to keep our lives in balance. Get a picture of that teeter totter in your mind and then put a 10 ton weight on one side and see how hard it will be to find the middle stability. That is what it's like to have bipolar disorder- it's a ten ton weight that we didn't ask for. If it were golf, our handicap would be off the charts!

When the weight is too heavy and the balance is too hard, people kill themselves to get out of the pain.

- Up to 20% of people with bipolar disorder kill themselves. I get letters from family members quite often thanking me for my work - and then giving me the news that their son, daughter, father, mother, lover, grandmother, etc has died. They thank me because they know that we all tried to help the person who had the illness called bipolar disorder- but the illness won. Just as cancer wins sometimes. Suicide is NOT a weakness. It's an outcome of an illness that was just too strong. The 10 ton weight on their shoulders was just too much.

As you can imagine, I could go on forever here, but I do have a final question:
If someone who loves you has said they have bipolar disorder and you have your doubts of the diagnosis- or even feel that the whole thing is a sham, why do you feel they have told you the news?

They have told you because they are scared and need your love and support. Bipolar disorder is an illness that has been documented for over 2000 years. It's a killer- just as cancer is a killer. The medications can be harsh and without support, the person with bipolar disorder can lead a life of constant hell. It needs treatment and the best way for treatment to work is through education especially for the people who love us.

I recently asked my mailing list to send in questions for my radio show- my mother was the guest and I wanted to get an idea of what information they needed. Hundreds of people replied and many people asked how they could get someone they cared about to believe the diagnosis and give them help, especially around medications. This is why I wrote this

I encourage you to let go of your anger, frustration, sadness and disbelief - these feelings are all normal by the way- and see bipolar disorder for what it is- a very serious illness. Someone you love has bipolar disorder and they need your help. The rest is up to you.

Julie A. Fast www.bipolarhappens.com
Julie Fast - www.BipolarHappens.com

P.O. Box 86728
Portland, OR
97286
US


Like Julie, I have Bipolar as well. And I'll be on BlogTalk Radio on May 15th 2008 at 12 noon EST to talk about it with Beverly Mahone. For an encore presentation, I'll be on Straighttalk at 8:00 EST that same evening for an open discussion. Follow the link, sign up and you'll receive confirmation and a phone number to call and a code to use to access the teleseminar. The list of teleseminars are to the right of the signup form.

Come listen and ask questions. I look forward to "seeing" you there.