What are you afraid of? What are your limitations? What have you overcome? What makes you powerful? In short: Do you own your story? I am in the process of owning mine. Here is how I’ve made progress so far. “Owning our story can be hard but not nearly as difficult as spending our lives...
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Do you tremble when it’s your turn to talk? Do you avoid public speaking at all costs? And do you feel like that fear is holding you back? I sure did. Here I share my story of leaving my comfort zone and finding my voice. Sometimes, when we speak, we aren’t communicating effectively. Furthermore, if...
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Insecurity is like your shadow, always at your side. It whispers in your ear and undermines your confidence. But it doesn’t have to. Growing up, I was always shy, intimidated and afraid to speak. I am the youngest of five, and it was hard for me to be outgoing, vocal, and secure among the stronger...
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With some children, an aversion to some foods can be more than just picky eating; find out if it’s time to seek help: What’s the aversion? There can be a host of reasons why your child is avoiding certain foods or food groups. As Child Mind Institute managing editor Rachel Ehmke explains, “some kids have...
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As a parent of a child with bipolar disorder, it’s difficult to watch him struggle with social anxiety instead of having fun; here’s help: 1. Validate their feelings It’s tempting to want to minimize feelings of social shyness for kids, in an attempt to divert attention elsewhere. However, remember children may need some comfort before...
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Abandonment in his past has led columnist Jasper Benitez to fear the future. Now, he is working to stay focused on the present. As someone who lives with bipolar, I can tell you that fear of the future is one of my biggest struggles. I become so engulfed with thoughts about the future that...
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As parents we all want to protect our children from their anxieties, but we can inadvertently make things worse; here’s four ideas to help children manage anxiety. #1 Be positive, but realistic It’s OK to express your own confidence that your child is going to manage, and that every step she takes, her anxiety level...
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Although you may be worried about a friend walking away due to your bipolar disorder symptoms, it can help to remember you share mutual trust. I have to admit something—I have a huge fear of wearing out my friendships because of bipolar disorder. I’m aware that sometimes being a friend to a person with...
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A teenager who has enough social fear that it interferes with normal functioning could have social anxiety disorder; here are five ways to tell: #1 Excessive fear Not only do many kids with social anxiety disorder have extreme fear about certain social occasion, but they are then also fearful of appearing anxious about it because...
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Remaining grounded in the present helps you to deliberately resist bipolar disorder’s impusive urges. By: Jasper Benitez Too often we individuals who live with bipolar disorder give in to our impulses. Whether it be to drive for miles just to buy that piece of chocolate we suddenly crave, or to give weight to our...
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Here’s how parents can help kids feel safe and process grief and fear after a traumatic world event: Communicate right away In the event of something tragic that happens that will undoubtedly receive wide media coverage, it is best to have a conversation with your children immediately about what has happened. Instead of hearing from...
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When you have an adult child living with bipolar and who’s in crisis it’s easy to get caught up in the emotions of the moment. I am far from a perfect parent. I have yelled at my son, called him names, and even thrown my own temper tantrum. These are things that I am...
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It’s time to take control of your life by living on your own terms and by your own rules. “Jump and Figure Out the Rest on the Way Down.” Many people with bipolar disorder can relate to these words. We tend to act without thinking about the consequences of our behavior. I wouldn’t recommend this...
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Adjusting to the storm and preserving oneself in the aftermath. Sometimes things are just not okay and sometimes that’s just fine. More than ever before my bipolar disorder looms above me like a cloud just waiting to burst with rain. Like all individuals suffering from bipolar disorder the shifts in moods are as unique as...
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The reason I love the Universe is because it always gives me what I need, when I need it. And I do believe it has a quirky sense of humor, too. Once, my car slid on black ice off a country road into a ditch. My car was totaled. Wouldn’t you know, my rental was...
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I think every experience is an opportunity for learning and growth, and you can take from it what you choose. By Sally Buchanan-Hagen Recently while giving a talk to university students, I was asked if I feared becoming unwell. I answered ‘no’ because most of the time I don’t. Many would think this is...
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Fear is what drives what I do or don’t do far too often. When I make choices that are based upon a fear it usually does nothing for my recovery. Fear is not my friend. It keeps me from moving forward and keeps my focus on what I am “moving away from” instead of focusing...
READ MOREBeginning this Sunday, I will become an employee under someone else’s management for the first time in nearly four years. I am going to work as a holiday season, part-time sales associate at a national retail store. It’s a store that I really like for its whimsy, and whose products I buy and enjoy for...
READ MORELast week, my second book, Haldol and Hyacinths: A Bipolar Life, was officially released. If you follow the blog, then you know that this book has been a long time in the making. I wrote it in an effort to encourage others with mental illness to lose the shame and drop the silence, to “come...
READ MORESix years ago, when I walked (ran) out of a job at a fledgling rafting company minutes after being threatened by a co-worker who’d trapped me in my office, threatened me verbally, physically, and revealed a gun, I was unaware that it would result not only in post-traumatic stress disorder specific to that situation and...
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