Bipolar Disorder, Stay Focused (Continued)

If you are unable to stay focused for any reason then I suggest you try using the energy of bipolar disorder mania toward a creative endeavor. It can be very rewarding when we use this energy to create something which is uniquely ours. We manic depressives have at our disposal a heightened awareness that for some of us borders on genus. But this potential goes for naught if we do not direct it toward a creative or therapeutic end. Although our creative endeavors and exercise are in many ways comforting and afford us temporary relief, they are not ultimately therapeutic, in that these efforts do not incorporate a plan for the end of depression. Therefore our main focus must remain the cognitive self-help program which does have the potential to end the depressive response, or at least allow us to be more in control.

At some time during an episode of bipolar disorder mania you will hit a wall, that point where all your efforts seem ill conceived and there is no hope that you will ever succeed in your efforts to overcome the depressive response or mania. Traditionally this is the point where you allow your despair and suicidal thoughts to take control and eventually drive you into a deep depressed state. This 'wall' may be the result of real life circumstances where the projects inspired during mania fail or it may be the result of mental and emotional exhaustion. Now, when you hit this emotional wall, you have the tools necessary to combat the emotional downward spiral.

You use Emotional Thought Stopping so that your negative thoughts, your disparaging thoughts, and your suicidal thoughts are not reinforced. The object of your anger is no longer others or events that have happened to you, the object of your anger is now the depressive response itself. Turn the anger into an exuberance knowing that you are able to take control of your emotions. Use the negative energy of your despair to ward off the temptation to stay in a negative space. It does work!

THIS IS IMPORTANT!
The concepts of this exercise, emotional thought stopping, and the cognitive- behavioral therapeutic model are not based on will power or mind over matter, where you are forced to combat the depressive response based on an inner strength that you do not at present possess. These concepts are based on the relationship and interaction of the conscious mind and the biological unconscious mind. When the negative thoughts and suicidal thoughts are not allowed to remain in the conscious mind these thoughts are not reinforced. The unconscious mind will begin to present them to the conscious less often as there is less and less emotion driving them into the conscious. As this happens the conscious mind begins to have more control over our emotions and the depressive response begins to lift. This is a biological process, facilitated by our cognitive imput. In other words, we think and do those things which influence the biological unconscious mind to react in ways which are beneficial to us.

Bipolar Disorder, Remain Grounded

When I write something while I am having an episode of bipolar disorder mania it is essential that I rewrite it at a later time when the episode is over and I am more lucid. I have gone back and looked at some of my drafts written when I first began this therapeutic process, they read as if they were the rantings of a madman. My first to third rewrites are used to ground my thoughts and insights to a point where they may read more like the babblings of an idiot. Finally my fourth and fifth rewrites have tempered my ideas to the point where they may be presentable to the general public, although my depressive nature at times leads me to believe that the final drafts are nothing more than the meanderings of a fool. I will leave it to you to attach a term which describes what you are reading. The point of this is, never act on manic inspired thoughts or ideas until you have throughly gone over everything, after the episode is finished and you are in a more lucid frame of mind.

Acting on solutions to problems inspired during bipolar disorder maina has more than once made me ask myself, "how could an intelligent, educated man such as myself, have done such an unbelievably stupid thing?" This has led to financial ruin twice in my life and over time my resume now reads as if it were a road map used in lieu of toilet paper in the outhouse of life. Making large purchases or major life decisions based on concepts inspired during bipolar disorder mania has led to divorce, financial ruin, and vocational disaster for many people.

At the time, during an episode, the answers to life's problems seem so crystal clear, so logical, and workable. But the mania causes us to form unrealistic expectations, and many times our actions or expenditures are based on assumptions and conclusions which are actually ill conceived. They are motivated more by our attempt to relieve the pain, then they are based on our intellect. At other times our concepts inspired during mania actually are brilliant and workable, but the impending depressive response causes failure of the project as the lack of energy, the impaired memory, hopelessness, the inability to concentrate, etc. all make it highly unlikely the project will succeed.

The consequence of acting on impulses inspired during bipolar disorder mania can take on a much more ominous and sinister tone if one allows mania free reign of the mind. Some of the most heinous crimes throughout the history of mankind have been the result of 'solutions' to the problems of life conceived while under the influence of a mind controlled by mania. One would hope that you and I have enough control so that we do not justify doing harm to others under the guise of an ill conceived belief that it is ok because it is for the common good of all those who are wronged. On the other hand, you and I are not above justifying acts which in the end, do us harm.

Bipolar Disorder and Mania, Conclusion

Here are some of the ways and reasons why this type of exercise is able to temper our bipolar disorder mania:

1. Focusing on a therapeutic endeavor keeps our mind from being consumed by our problems and our pain. Staying grounded by reviewing and rethinking everything which transpired during an episode of bipolar disorder mania helps us to identify that which is ill conceived and possibly harmful to us and to others. By giving direction and purpose to the episode we do not allow mania free reign of our mind and thereby we moderate the 'highs'.

2. Using Emotional Thought Stopping insures that we do not reinforce our anger and our despair. Also suicidal thoughts are not reinforced by using Emotional Thought Stopping, thereby moderating the 'lows'. Emotional Thought Stopping is a powerful tool when used to protect us from our disparaging and angry thoughts, and helps when we hit that 'wall' during an episode so that we do not crash into a possible major depressive episode.

3. While these tools will help temper the highs and lows of this cycle so that we do not find ourselves in a crisis situation as often as before, probably the most important aspect of this therapeutic equation is the cognitive- behavioral therapeutic model. Cognitive-behavioral therapy helps us to identify those thoughts and behaviors which are maladaptive and dysfunctional and which set us up for further depressive episodes. We change how we think, what we think, and how we react in certain situations in life, so that we find ourselves in situations and mind sets that cause the depressive response much less often than before. We are then less likely to trigger our disparaging, angry, and suicidal thoughts, allowing our conscious mind more control over our emotions, thereby reversing the biological unconscious depressive response.