I have bipolar. It's about managing a balance. That's what I know helps. BUT, what about those times when your mania has you working hard and focused for almost 3 days straight. ( I'm talking no sleep here ) It's times like this when I have to force myself to slow down and accept letting go of my manic high. ( Because , I love the manic me, and it's safe if I'm alone ) Creative-workaholics have a problem with letting go. BUT, in ways, that's what I know keeps me a prisoner of myself. It's times like these when I'm thankful I have a genuine spiritual relationship. I pray the rosary every morning ( the first thing I do usually ) and on days that I don't, let's just say it's a night and day difference. I say all that to say this. When I'm on my manic high, I'm so excited about catching up from all the depressed days that I didn't "get anything done" that I forget to pump the breaks and get centered again. There's something about putting yourself to the side and letting God go back to the front of the line. That' s something I learned in AA long time ago. But it is hard when an incontrolable disease trys to run you instead of you runiing it. Thing is, I sometimes do like something running me that makes me get things done. The gift and the curse. So how do us "mental illness" people handle religon ?
As far as my practice is concerned, my gut feeling goes with Jesus Christ and Catholic practices, but I go to a Christian church. I read the Quron as well as the bible, and have had a curiosity about other religions since I was a kid. Today I am faced with becoming a father for the first time. Now, I'm facing a new spectrum of thoughts. I think in my experience, my mental illness has had an influence on how I found and lost my spirituality. I've talked to a good handful of people when I was a peer specialist that lived with schizzophrenia, and sometimes they had a intense beleif in religon to the point where it became their constant focus. What I suppose people would call dellusional. I find it facsinating. Here's what I found googling around. Free anger and humor. Any feedback is insightful, good or bad.
As far as my practice is concerned, my gut feeling goes with Jesus Christ and Catholic practices, but I go to a Christian church. I read the Quron as well as the bible, and have had a curiosity about other religions since I was a kid. Today I am faced with becoming a father for the first time. Now, I'm facing a new spectrum of thoughts. I think in my experience, my mental illness has had an influence on how I found and lost my spirituality. I've talked to a good handful of people when I was a peer specialist that lived with schizzophrenia, and sometimes they had a intense beleif in religon to the point where it became their constant focus. What I suppose people would call dellusional. I find it facsinating. Here's what I found googling around. Free anger and humor. Any feedback is insightful, good or bad.
In an article by Lisa Rinaldi-Kohl a Nursing Instructor in South Florida, she states these two things. A) "Bipolar patients are usually the worst when it comes to delusional ideas and beliefs. They will argue, fight and drive you insane to get a point across. They don't realize how fanatical they sound. They are also the easiest to be converted to a new religion. I can never figure out how various religions can sense a vulnerabilty in someone and use it to their advantage, to make them join their sect. I've seen this happen time and time again. B) The interesting factor is that once a patient is put on a treatment plan, all the delusions of religion and everything else, goes away. They can't believe they were actually acting out that way. That's when you know someone is on the road to recovery. |
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