Today I celebrate my mental health remission. How beating manic depression, aka bipolar 1, is not only possible, but it’s really not that complicated if we live mindfully and intentionally consistent. Consistency is the most important component of this golden elixir’s equation. My life has transformed from crippling anxiety to effortless.
How I achieve mental health remission. Written poorly by someone who rarely uses spellcheck. I’m a terrible writer, but hey I’m only human, right? Somedays I’m not so sure, but we’ll get to that another time. For now, let’s get to it. Call it combat training.
I wrote this earlier today in the BP Hope for Bipolar group. It’s not only my daily routine, but my recipe for achieving life balance. This includes my mental health of which I now refer to as my manic depression (bipolar 1) remission. If something resonates with you that’s great, if not that’s ok, too. 😉
This is my all day version. It’s all connected to being able to wind down at the end of the day.
I believe in the Roman philosopher Seneca who said “luck is what happens when preparation meets opportunity.” Luck doesn’t happen to us. We are an active participant in creating it. Our will manifests it.
Wake up thankful to have another day to live. Get up. Drink water. Open up the doors and appreciate the birds chirping. Make my bed with my headphones on. Eat savory food before anything sweet. Make coffee iced, sometimes mocha.
Exercise early each morning around 8:30. Get outside with music for 1.5 hours. Immerse in nature. Talk to the creatures I see that also notice me.
Smile at everything along my path. Even a half smile can boost our mood. I keep my headphones on a setting that allows me to still hear and connect with my natural surroundings. Nature interrupts my travels with dragonflies, hawks, and sometimes even a white feather hovering in mid-air. That last one I’ll tell you more about later.
While walking I keep Siri busy taking notes about thoughts and observations along my morning journey. In three years I’ve logged over 2,300 thoughts. I find practicing thinking on my feet is the most natural way for my mind to open. Wide.
Then later I review these notes, prioritize a few for the day and further explore them later that afternoon. Sometimes I forget them altogether. If it’s a good, solid idea I find they make their way back into my next walk or two. If it’s worth remembering, I will.
Sing, write, design, build, and learn something new each day. Talk to someone voice to voice and face to face. Body language is important and crucial for truly connecting with ourselves and others. Seeing is believing. We were never meant to rapid fire text each other in order to communicate. Stop doom scrolling. Start by sharing your voice.
Practice forgiveness and active listening. Stop focusing on finding the opportune moment to interrupt. Listen more and talk less. It’s not easy, I’ll be the first to admit.
Intermittent light fasting. Don’t overeat. Eat smaller meals. Drink smoothies with fruit and spinach. Eat fresh foods. Rest. Afternoon siesta. I learned how important this was while living in Cortona, Italy. Rest the body and mind. Refresh the soul.
No caffeine or sugar after 6 pm. Eat a well rounded meal supporting brain, heart, and gut health. Watch something funny or light hearted. Count my blessings. Pray for those I know, and especially those I’ll never know.
Give a wink to God, Mother Nature, and the Universe. Live simply shedding materialism. Be the light, energy, and awareness I seek. Give myself and even my demons a hug. Rest consistently. Yes, rest.
Make mistakes and try everything. That’s been my path to wisdom. Be willing to know and celebrate I know nothing. Socrates was right about that all along.
Breathe. Enjoy the silence. Be mindful. Celebrate solitude. In those moments our connection to everything is unbreakable. It’s within that divine interconnectedness we know we are never alone.
These practices have allowed me to not only manage, but overcome my manic depression, aka bipolar 1 disorder. I now say I’m in mental health remission. Yes, I still talk to my friend, the feisty owl, for a full five minutes.
P. S. Manic depression, aka bipolar 1, wasn’t something I acquired like the flu. It’s riddled throughout my entire family tree’s DNA. That’s not always a bad thing, either, because yes it crushes our souls, but it’s also the key in unlocking our superpowers.
If you’re curious, like me, do a search for artists and singers, actors and writers, poets and playwrights. They all had the divine spark of madness, too. Madness and genius go hand-in-hand. Ask around.
Two books I highly recommend if you’d like to understand manic depression further, take a look at Kay Redfield Jamison’s An Unquiet Mind and Touched with Fire. When I was first diagnosed with bipolar 1, I found these books quite helpful in guiding me through my new reality.
“David, have you ever considered you don’t have any mental illness at all? Could you possibly just have an immensely rich imagination?”
— Dr. Gergana Dimitrova, MD, psychiatrist, friend, and former Medical Director at Carolina Center for Behavioral Health