Happiness

As a soon to be Foster Parent, but not as much as a current Parent, I am somewhat hesitant to blog about the depression I feel sometimes. And as I have to put some bacon in the oven and grill (Ge orge Foreman style) some chicken for our Super Chicken Sala ds for dinner , I wi ll try to write quickly. As most of you know, I have Bipolar Disorder. It was di agnosed 4+ years ago and since then I have been doing super well. I am pretty normal. I am stable. I take my 1 med . regularly and rejoice that I don't have to deal with many R xs, side effects or high costs. I have a wonderful support group of Josh, my immediate family and friends I can chat with. For the past year or so, I have gotten depressed for 2 hours a day- from 3-5 pm - a lmost every day. I can feel it coming on- a sense of foreboding - and it permeates my afternoon.  I am able to do the normal, same things- help the kids with their homework, unload the dishwasher, read, blog. But, the re is a de pressi on u...

This picture was taken 3 1/2 months before my Bipolar Journey officially started. I have a few posts that I want to write- one full of my favorite quotes from Conference, one about our foster/adoption class experience *edited * But something else has been on my mind. I feel a special connection to NieNie- Stephanie Nielson. In 2008 she was burned in an airplane crash all over. In 2008 I also went through a life changing experience. I became severely depressed and then quite manic and diagnosed with Bipolar Disorder. Just like Nie, I had to have some time to recover. I tried several different meds, until we found the one that was just right for me. I went through a time where I was zombie like, on two different meds and needing to nap or eat all the time. It was not a happy time in my life. Just like Nie, I had wonderful family and friends that supported and loved me. Josh was there for me all the time, his family and my family supported us and gave us love and kind words of guidance. ...

Our new Betta fish- Bob I'm at home again- sick with a sore throat- so I thought i would write a little about Mania. More specifically, about Manic Mommies. There's a podcast that i found called Manic Mommies. I listened to it for a while there while I would run on the treadmill. Mostly it was two women chatting about how busy they are and how much they do as moms. they weren't really manic, but I'm sure a lot of Moms feel the same way: sometimes overwhelmed with all they have to do in one day: making lunches, changing bed sheets, volunteering at school, putting kids down for naps, supervising homework and play-dates, dinner, etc. It seems like you could be manic, but mania is a little different. I woke up on Monday morning, feeling quite "energetic"- the nice term I use for mania. I felt driven. Driven to get up and go, there was nothing that could stop me. I went for a run with Sadie, made smoothies for breakfast, ran to Wal-mart to get a bookshelf, Barnes ...

our newly update Guest Bedroom Three years ago, I was diagnosed with Bipolar Disorder. I had been battling depression and had no clue that it could even remotely be a Bipolar thing. I thought Bipolar people were crazy- they would laugh then cry, shout then weep. They were crazy, right? Nope. It turns out they were okay- they just needed the right meds. After moving across the country, away from most family and friends, it took me 6 months to fall into a deep depression. I began anti-depressants and my depression flipped into a happy-hyper-all-day-and-night thing and I was diagnosed with something I will have for the rest of my life. Bipolar disorder. And I am okay with it.Now. I've been on the same medicine (lithium 900 mg) for the past 2 1/2 years (off and on for some trys at more babies) and I've been stable. I do everything that everyone else can do- driving, sleeping, eating, reading, folding laundry, laughing, playing. I just have to go to the Dr. every few months for a re...

When I was diagnosed with Bipolar Disorder almost 3 years ago, I didn't know what to do or what to expect. What would my future be like? Would I be able to realize all of my dreams, my hopes, my aspirations? Now, almost 3 years later, here I am. I am healthy and I am happy. It has been tough. Really tough. But if I could go back and change things I wouldn't. I wouldn't do it for the world. Hilary Weeks has come out with a new song- Beautiful Heartbreak . It has touched my heart and I hope it will touch yours as well. We all have a sign we could wear. You never know what someone is struggling with. How am I doing- you ask? I am doing okay. Mostly, I am grateful for the Tender Mercies that Heavenly Father sends. A sweet woman at Church today, coming up and giving me a squeeze and chatting about losing a baby for a while. Finding the Perfect Dog and bringing her home (more on that later!) after putting an ad on Craigslist 3 weeks ago. Seeing the sun burst from the clouds on ...

Appreciating nature- a good way to de-stress! I've really being trying to have less stress in my life lately. It makes for a lot healthier life style. Here is a list I came up with of 30 ways to have less stress in my/your life: 1. Spend time with friends (talking/laughing/chatting always helps!) 2. Swimming/walking/running 3. Eating healthy- including fruits, veggies, protein, vitamins 4. Reaching out to the world 5. Service to others 6. Pets- dog, cat, snake, etc. 7. Talking to your spouse @ problems. 8. Taking time for yourself- reading something good, Stephen Raspberry Hot Chocolate 9. Planning trips/vacations (for me) 10. Making & setting goals. 11. Really praying 12. Pondering the scriptures 13. Taking vitamins (did I say that already?) 14. Living Righteously 15. Trusting in the Lord 16. Going to the Temple 17. Knowing where your money is & how it's working for you. 18. Listening to sweet tunes. 19. Having the Spirit with you. 20. Writing letters/writing (for me) ...

Since the move, I've been mildly manic. I've lost sleep while packing and at hotels- getting the kids to bed and then when we got here- unpacking and shopping to get the house set up and organized. It's been a little hectic. There are 5 things that I need to do to manage the symptoms of bipolar disorder. 1. G et enough sleep . That is hard to do when you move across the country! 2. Get regular exercise. That is also hard to do when you are packing, then traveling and then setting up house. I got a 3 week free pass to a gym 4 minutes away from here and just today I signed up for the year. It always feels fantastic after I run (or walk if my back is injured). Someone once said that 30 minutes of exercise is like one prozac. I don't know who said it, but I'm pretty sure it's true! 3. Eat healthy. The weeks we were packing and then traveling across the country I didn't do so well. I got really tired of the fast food on the road and couldn't take it anymore....