Information and opinions on health from Of-Two-Minds about it at HealthCentral.com. HealthCentral.com is one of the top health destinations on the Web, with more than 35 condition-specific, wellness and general health Web properties. http://www.healthcentral.com/profiles/c/184715/index http://www.healthcentral.com/profiles/c/184715/rss self application/xml en-us 15 120 19 http://www.healthcentral.com/images/hc_logo_sm.gif http://www.healthcentral.com/profiles/c/184715/index http://www.healthcentral.com/bipolar/c/184715/153139/moments-wellness Sun, 20 May 2012 01:02:14 -0400 Of-Two-Minds about it Last night, while having dinner with my husband, I suddenly became aware of what I can only describe as a sense of wellbeing settling around me. Something quieted in me and I was able to be "in the moment". We were eating on the patio of a small Mexican restaurant and it was that time between late afternoon and early evening. I could feel the air, I could hear the crickets, and I could smell the lavender and roses growing along the fence. I felt... http://www.healthcentral.com/bipolar/c/184715/153139/moments-wellness http://www.healthcentral.com/bipolar/c/184715/153090/paula-dean Fri, 18 May 2012 12:53:40 -0400 Of-Two-Minds about it Lately I have been finding myself saying to myself, "You know what, I am who I am, and I am tired of apologizing for it or berating myself over it". A few days ago I was frustrated with husband for asking my why I was struggling that day? I just looked at him and he said, "Ok, I will just leave you alone. I just wanted to make sure that I didn't do anything wrong. If I did, just tell me and I will correct it". It seems like a very accommodating... http://www.healthcentral.com/bipolar/c/184715/153090/paula-dean http://www.healthcentral.com/bipolar/c/184715/153064/feeling-shaky Thu, 17 May 2012 18:25:51 -0400 Of-Two-Minds about it Struggling today. Sitting at my desk and I should be going home. Problem though is I haven't settled into a routine yet in the new house. It's like a new pair of shoes that don't fit comfortably yet. My desk feels more reassuring than home and I am in need of a place that feels solid and reassuring. Someplace comfortabe and familiar because I am feeling shaky right now.      This is why I eat comfort... http://www.healthcentral.com/bipolar/c/184715/153064/feeling-shaky http://www.healthcentral.com/bipolar/c/184715/152835/job-temperament Wed, 09 May 2012 17:57:20 -0400 Of-Two-Minds about it I talk about my job a lot because it affects every area of my daily life. Every day as a teacher affects how I see myself. It determines the value I place on myself, it tells me who I am as a person, it has a STRONG influence on my emotional barometer, it often validates all of my insecurities, it can influence my decision making, it challenges me to do more than I thought I could, it often "wrings" me out like a wet rag and... http://www.healthcentral.com/bipolar/c/184715/152835/job-temperament http://www.healthcentral.com/bipolar/c/184715/152725/struggling Sun, 06 May 2012 17:47:07 -0400 Of-Two-Minds about it My husband and I just made a move. I finally made a decision about whether to keep paying on my condo or walk away. We found a home to rent in a nearby community. The rent is a less than 1/2 of what I paid on my mortgage and HOA; there are dogs all over this very pet friendly community; the HOA is less intrusive, and we know longer feel like we live in a fishbowl. The move was hard physicallly, but my husband did most of it, and the children... http://www.healthcentral.com/bipolar/c/184715/152725/struggling http://www.healthcentral.com/bipolar/c/184715/151509/springing-cont Sun, 25 Mar 2012 14:21:52 -0400 Of-Two-Minds about it It is Sunday and I am feeling relaxed. My prescribing doc suggested I up my dosage of the mood stabilizer and it has made a difference. I don't feel overwhelmed by the anxiety and irritability. In fact, positive feelings are now able to get through. Happiness, gratitude, and a sense of hope have now risen to the top. I can look at my husband and realize just how blessed I am to have him. I can just accept all of the things he does for me... http://www.healthcentral.com/bipolar/c/184715/151509/springing-cont http://www.healthcentral.com/bipolar/c/184715/151472/spring-bubbling Fri, 23 Mar 2012 20:09:46 -0400 Of-Two-Minds about it Twenty years ago I went through a period of creativity. I wrote columns of encouragement for a small newspaper. I wrote a song, and then I wrote eleven more. I filled a half dozen journals with writing and drawings. Every issue, both locally and national fueled my letters to the editor. I had something to say and I used every means of communication to say it. To say it to others, to say it to myself. It was like a hole in the ground opened... http://www.healthcentral.com/bipolar/c/184715/151472/spring-bubbling http://www.healthcentral.com/bipolar/c/184715/151350/i-any-better-off Tue, 20 Mar 2012 00:45:11 -0400 Of-Two-Minds about it I have not had the diagnostic nightmare experiences that Tabby, Donna and many others have had. In listening to them it feels like being a mouse in a complicated maze looking for the cheese. The more you turn the corners looking for the right diagnosis and the right medication the further you get away from that part of you that is constant and true. The part of you that is able to step back and have a clearer view of the "storm", rather than... http://www.healthcentral.com/bipolar/c/184715/151350/i-any-better-off http://www.healthcentral.com/bipolar/c/184715/150951/overwhelmed Tue, 06 Mar 2012 18:07:58 -0500 Of-Two-Minds about it I am feeling lost. Everyday I am trying to keep up with the demands and responsibilites of my life, but it is feeling like I am standing on a riverbank that is crumbling and giving way to the rising water around me. Things I used to stay on top of, that I could handle, are slipping. And, I feel so judged. I judge myself. When I feel overwhelmed, I feel hopeless. What happened to my coping skills?      Seeing my family feels... http://www.healthcentral.com/bipolar/c/184715/150951/overwhelmed http://www.healthcentral.com/bipolar/c/184715/149617/feeling-hopeless Tue, 24 Jan 2012 18:14:15 -0500 Of-Two-Minds about it Written several posts lately that have run the course of my mood cycle- what ever the hell that is. The closer I look at this disorder and how it affects me, the more out of focus and confusing it gets. It is individualized. It can be controlled with medication. It can be worsened with medication. The key is to know yourself and your triggers. Psychotherapy will help you to help yourself. We see ourselves through the distorted filter of... http://www.healthcentral.com/bipolar/c/184715/149617/feeling-hopeless