I am happy. I have a good life. Now, I've had to work real hard at it, doing all the things I have to do to remain stable with my disorder, but I am happy.
I think you have to have a balance. You can't go too far one way or the other, like the extremes of depression and mania in bipolar disorder. But it doesn't matter what your diagnosis is - I think it's up to you whether you are happy or not. Being happy for me, for instance, does not mean that I don't have any problems, because I do. But being stable with my disorder helps me to solve those problems in a rational, sane way.
I am stable. I take pride in that, because it was hard-fought and won. And it took some time, and alot of positive energy and optimistic thinking. And I didn't do it by myself, either (I think I was incapable of that) - I had a lot of help. But first I had to believe that I COULD be stable with my disorder which, at one point, seemed like it could NEVER happen to someone like me, I was that bad.
I am blessed, because today I enjoy the fruits of stability - a wonderful and supportive husband, a great marriage, 3 great sons, a home, a car, a job that I love, etc. But I use the word "blessed" instead of "lucky" because I don't think luck had anything to do with it.
At one point, I questioned my own faith, as I thought God deserted me when I prayed about being healed from bipolar disorder (and my other disorders) and wasn't.
But at some point I realized that it is because God idd not choose to heal me that I've done the most good. This blog (and my two others) for example. And the work I do for www.bipolarcentral.com and NAMI's IOOV program.
Today I am stable, balanced, and very, very grateful to God for keeping me this way. Because of this, I can help SO many other people! I LOVE doing IOOV presentations, for instance, because you can watch the faces of the people and actually see them change from Dark Days to Successes, Hopes, and Dreams! And when I see in the feedback forms that people now believe that recovery is possible, I am even more grateful to be a IOOV presenter. I believe we really help people.
So, whenever you feel discouraged, or don't think your story (or you) is important, remember the good you are actually doing. Take yourself out of the imaginary picture for a minute and think about where IOOV would be without you -- all the people who wouldn't be helped just because you shared your story. YOU ARE IMPORTANT! Never forget that.
Wishing you peace and stability,
Remember God loves you and so do I,
Michele
Thursday, October 29, 2009
Thursday, October 15, 2009
Being a Diamond in the Rough
My wonderful husband had a saying about me before we got married - that I was a diamond in the rough. That's how he was able to love me even during my most destructible stages with bipolar disorder.
I think being a diamond in the rough is a good analogy for people with mental illness, because we want others to look past our outward selves, into who we really are. That's what we do with the IOOV program - we put a face on mental illness. We give hope to people who prior to that meeting didn't have hope. We tell them that they are not alone, like we thought we once were, before we became stable (recovered).
When we do an IOOV presentation, the goal is bigger than ourselves. We want people who didn't believe that recovery was possible for them to look at us and say YES! Recovery IS possible.
I love every IOOV presentation I do, because there is the very real chance to change a life! Have you ever thought of that? All we do is tell our stories. But your story has the potential to change someone else's life, who might look at you and be encouraged that if you could go through the same things they are going through and come out on the other side, then they can, too.
Our stories are powerful. They give hope. They tell people that they CAN recover! By being willing to open up ourselves from the inside out, we prove that people can overcome overwhelming odds and situations and come out free and stable.
Never underestimate your IOOV presentation - it could very well change a life!
Wishing you peace and stability,
Remember God loves you and so do I,
Michele
I think being a diamond in the rough is a good analogy for people with mental illness, because we want others to look past our outward selves, into who we really are. That's what we do with the IOOV program - we put a face on mental illness. We give hope to people who prior to that meeting didn't have hope. We tell them that they are not alone, like we thought we once were, before we became stable (recovered).
When we do an IOOV presentation, the goal is bigger than ourselves. We want people who didn't believe that recovery was possible for them to look at us and say YES! Recovery IS possible.
I love every IOOV presentation I do, because there is the very real chance to change a life! Have you ever thought of that? All we do is tell our stories. But your story has the potential to change someone else's life, who might look at you and be encouraged that if you could go through the same things they are going through and come out on the other side, then they can, too.
Our stories are powerful. They give hope. They tell people that they CAN recover! By being willing to open up ourselves from the inside out, we prove that people can overcome overwhelming odds and situations and come out free and stable.
Never underestimate your IOOV presentation - it could very well change a life!
Wishing you peace and stability,
Remember God loves you and so do I,
Michele
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