Welcome to our little corner of the Internet. Kick your feet up and stay a while.
Everyday Contemplation: Maintaining a Hush for Mental Health “Contemplation:” The word’s Latin root means “a space to view auguries.” (Those are implements used for divining the future.) I say that you don’t forecast the future by quiet sitting: you change it, and for the better! You reach into your heart, bring up from it your essence, and refine that into …
A recent article in Bipolar News reminds us of the value of preventing mood episodes, even if that means aggressive treatment. By reducing the number of bipolar episodes a patient may experience, preventative treatment can protect the brain from the damaging effects of such episodes. Preventative treatments with multiple medications have been shown to be very effective but the medication …
Many people with depression have trouble avoiding weight gain, a recent study suggests that there are three habits for weight loss which may help. The study, which was published in BMJ Open, tracked nearly 60,000 people in Japan who also had type 2 diabetes and looked at eating habits and their relationship to weight gain over time. Aside from the …
Moodsurfing has frequently recommended the concept of the “morning ritual” or “morning routine” to help all of us live more creatively with moods. However, keeping a morning ritual is easier said than done! For people with kids, jobs, pets, plumbing emergencies and all the rest of life, keeping to a routine may get moved to the back burner more often …
Sharing about bipolar with others can be a very personal and vulnerable decision. I often have clients ask my opinion about who they should share with and how to go about doing that. I think it can be helpful to pull apart these questions to assist them in getting to their own answers to these questions. When thinking about sharing …
In our practice we often see a link between binge eating and bipolar. Recent studies are showing that there is a link between emotional eating and bipolar disorder, with as many as 10% of bipolar sufferers also struggling with eating disorders, a much higher percentage than in the general population. The Mayo Clinic, which has studied the link between binge …
How can we reconcile acceptance and the unacceptable in our lives? A new blog post from Rick Hanson sparked me to thinking about the relationship between acceptance and acquiescence or even complicity. So many things are wrong with the world. Is there no role for righteous anger? And yet… Acceptance in the sense that Rick means is really about not …
A reader of this blog forwarded to me an article on “micro-progress” that promises a solution the the common problem of procrastination. Editor of Smarter Living, Tim Herrera, writes… “Of the countless articles, books and so-called lifehacks about productivity I’ve read (or written!), the only “trick” that has ever truly and consistently worked is both the simplest and the most difficult …
Returning to work after a period of increased symptoms of depression or bipolar can seem daunting. And, indeed, there are major challenges to be dealt with. If you are returning to work, you are in a happy minority of people with bipolar or recurrent depression. Congratulate yourself! Or at least that is what the, admittedly incomplete, evidence suggests. Trying to …
Attention Bias Modification (ABM) – also sometimes called Cognitive Bias Modification – may be an inexpensive and effective way of enhancing standard treatment for social anxiety. The standard approach to social anxiety is cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT). CBT focuses on teaching people to modify their thoughts about social situations. First the client is asked to track thoughts before a group …
One of the curious quirks of how our brain works has to do with how it responds to situations associated with fatigue, depression and sleep. Usually the brain regulates sleep well. Every night, after we have been awake for the appropriate amount of time, our brain responds to signals from the “clock” cells in the pineal gland and to the …
Perfectionism and depression are opposites that often seem to attract each other, and the combination can be a great challenge for anyone trying to “live creatively with moods.” Depression enhances our brain’s natural tendency to see problems in the world around us… it shines a spotlight on every imperfection. It is a perfectionist’s nightmare. Perfectionism Perfectionism itself is not necessarily …
Perhaps the phrase, “smartphones want to give you ADD” is a bit of an exaggeration. But this week I had a couple of thoughtful conversations with people who are struggling to reclaim their lives from incestuous relationships with their phones. Always at hand when they feel bored, or dissatisfied, or unhappy, smartphones seems like a godsend. But what these young …
There are two characteristics that seem to define people with bipolar and depression who do well, one of them is persistence despite depression, a trait which is described well in the post Trust the Process by a favorite blogger, Bipolar on Fire. The other is a willingness to “do what it takes,” meaning a commitment to wellness even if it may …
This is a wonderful blog, and I particularly liked this post about friends. We tend to think of friends on a single dimension of “good” or “bad” but different friends meet different needs… My friends are one of the greatest blessings in my life. We have weathered many storms, and celebrated many victories. I learn from each of them on …
Self care is an essential aspect of a stable mood. Perhaps that statement seems obvious. You might be surprised, though, by how often people try to ignore that fact. It is common in my practice to be asked, directly or indirectly, to make a person feel good about themselves even though they are not taking care of their most basic …
Crisis prevention is a great goal, but it sometimes seems like the goal is always moving ahead into a cloudy future. How can we get crisis prevention into our action planning right now? First, think ahead. Any big changes coming up? Starting school, kids starting school, travel, new job, new home. These are the kinds of changes that can be …
What do we mean by anger uses and abuses? Righteous anger is a powerful force for change in the world. But some folks seem to live in anger all the time, and for them, and those around them, anger can become a trap. As others pull away from them they feel more helpless, and more angry. How to break this …
Holidays! So much to juggle, so many moods to surf, so much holiday stress! Moodsurfing has looked at holiday stress from a number of angles over the years, and we have come up with a collection of reminders to help you keep on top of everything at this time of year when everything seems more volatile and emotional. While depression …
How can you make meaningful resolutions for 2018? Maybe not something like “adopt more healthy habits”, which can be hard to do. How about resolving to work on something that research shows is foundational to healthy habits and healthy motivations? Cultivating a sense of purpose in life has been shown to affect health and longevity through numerous avenues of study. Those …
