Musings on change

Change,

A fear inspiring word for many, but it is the change we fear or the cascade of changes which follow.

Catalyst, the thing which instigates the following actions and reactions.

To change schools, often means a change in friends, changes the nature of our friendships with existing friends distancing and reducing the time available to relate and communicate, new teachers, new classrooms, new attitudes, once again facing introductions and adjustment periods.

The same can be said for treatments, new treatment regime. You never know when you start if it will work out or not, you have an extended adjustment period learning new side effects you may experience, risks, risk management which accompanies this regime, possible necessary dietary changes, home and routine changes to minimize or accommodate the change in side effects or effectiveness.

Will this new regime open the door to my home expanding my range of living, to encompass the local campus, shopping centre, performing arts centre, library, cinema?

Or will I begin imitating Mrs Pea Body and fluid retention leave me planning my day and journey’s according to toilet stops?

Will I need a new wardrobe in a month to accommodate a spreading waistline due to increased appetite and prescription drug induced metabolic syndrome or be left standing starkers as my clothes are too small to fit any more?

Will I still be able to go to work and tolerate the noise and sounds of my workplace, or will photophobia (light sensitivity), Hyperacusis (sound sensitivity), or Akathesia (inner restlessness) keep me paralysed at home?

Will I be able to enjoy a single weekly Beer with my old friends or will it leave me vomiting and lethargic?

Will I be able to sleep a regular 8 hours every night and wake feeling rested, or will I sleep for 17 hours at a time struggle to remember to take my medications due to regularly sleeping through their assigned times to take them and waking feeling tormented and frayed?

Will change be for the better or the worse? Will change give me new spoons each day or will it merely redistribute the same spoons across my day with differing priorities? Will things improve or will I merely exist? We cannot know until we try, often fear of past bad changes will hinder us in taking the opportunity to try new changes for the sake of the 50/50 risk which comes with each change of better or worse.

We MUST be open and honest with our doctors, they see a person in front of them with an ailment which needs treating and often do not see or comprehend the way our health is weaved intricately through our day to day life, they rely on us to let them know the extent of the impact any changes or conditions make on our live’s which exist outside of their consulting room.

When you live by the number of spoons you hold each day, we are more conscious of each spoon we loose.

will the desire to live a full life allow me to achieve it or will poor treatment and guidance eventually leave us reliant on doctors and specialists to keep our bodies functioning in spite of our minds due to long term side effects.

One day somehow, someway life will get better, we will learn who our friends are, who is worth spending spoons on, who is there to keep us from despair, how to live each day to its fullest and how to find satisfaction in our own little piece of the world. While the road to get there is rocky we cannot let that deter us from travelling the road to our destination, and when we walk that road carefully knowingly navigating all obstacles it presents to us, greater satisfaction can be found at the journey’s end.

Introducing myself :)

I thought I’d pop my head up and say hi.

My name is D Kai Wilson-Viola, and I’m one of the vollunteer writers here – I also help moderate the group over on Facebook.

I’m bipolar, and the author of several books about bipolar disorder, along with lots of fiction.  I own and run a copywriting company, so I can stay at home for my kids (11 and 9 currnetly)  and write.

I love to take photos, talk writing and graduate at the end of next month.  For which reason, I’m probably not going to be on the blog much till the end of next month, but I’ll give it a try.

I also run my own bipolar and mental health related blog, over at http://bi-polarbears.com, so there’s a possibility that you know of me already.

My speciality is Bipolar disorder and psych research – I graduate at the end of this year with a degree in Psychology and Creative Writing, so I’ve really learned to explore stuff as far as it takes me bfore making a decision.

So, yes, that’s me 😉

Today’s Question

1. What behaviour or physical signs would arouse concern for a friend for their mental health?
2. And what are some of the things you could do?
   1. without pressuring them to get further help.
   2. Or suggesting that they get further help if there are signs of Mental illness.

Write for us

Those wondering what I am asking them to write about,

What would you say if someone was diagnosed with bipolar disorder yesterday and came to you and asked “what should I do?”

is what I am asking you to write about

Welcome to the BA~STS Blog

If you would like to become a contributor or editor please let me know.

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I still have some of the pages to polish off for now they are little more than holding pages to assist with construction of the basic structure, but it is ready for you all to put your thinking caps on as to how you would like this used, what would you like to see provided or discussed?

We have access to Polls, Post’s, multimedia features and the list goes on.

I hope it is so far pretty enough for you and simple enough that you can find what little there is so far.