Bipolarwanderings

First and foremost, I have a new Instagram page titled @bipolarwanderings. I just started a 30-day Surrender Experiment, where I am posting my daily experiences and attempting to surrender to the flow of life! Join me in surrendering!!

Along with these Surrender Experiment posts on my Instagram, I want to surrender to my caffeine obsession…I drink waaaaay too much caffeine…okay not ‘waaaaay’ too much, but maybe ‘way’ too much.

In order to ensure that I *stay grounded* after drinking excess caffeine, through coffee or energy drinks, (causing anxiety and energy crashes), I make time for the following activities:

1. Daily walks, whether it be at my job or outside
2. Copious amounts of water, to mitigate the effects of the caffeine
3. Regular snacks or meals to ensure I’m *staying grounded
4. Weight-lifting/aerobic exercise/yoga as often as possible (3-4 x week)

Because I identify with Christianity, when I start to dip into fearful thinking I like to remember biblical verses that resonate with me. One verse is Isaiah 41:10, which summarizes God’s love for us. Endless and always there.

Mental illness to me is a huge testament to the amount of faith you can have in something unseen. You cannot see the illness on an X-ray, show someone the pain you’re experiencing, nor the fear. In this way, finding God has been a huge burden lifted off my shoulders, to give my faith to someone. I know there are many individuals with many different viewpoints, but for me, finding faith in God has been a game-changer.

*What does ‘staying grounded’ even mean?

Staying grounded (in my opinion) means maintaining rational thinking. For those who have never had a psychotic/manic/depressive episode, irrational thinking could include “I am here to save the world”, “My life is [insert overly optimistic/pessimistic adjective here]”, or “I need to save everyone.” All of these thinking modalities can lead to excess energy in the mind, which could become dysfunctional for the sufferer. So, eating healthy/regular meals, drinking water, and regular physical activity all help the blood flow throughout your body remain balanced. Of course, I am not an M.D. and this is just my opinion on the matter!

Why am I sharing this?

I believe maintaining a healthy mind should be as commonplace as deciding what meal you are going to have next. Maintaining a healthy mind (especially for those who suffer from mental illness) not only protects you from another manic episode or depressive period, it allows you to function at your optimum potential.