By Stephen Propst
Seeing the end of the tunnel can make you less afraid of being in the dark.
It was a rainy Tuesday in Atlanta. I wondered to what extent the weather would impact support group attendance that evening. How many might decide that venturing out simply wasn’t worth it?
Well, some did brave the elements. And their tenacity made me wonder if the forecast for wellness might be brighter for these weather warriors. Let’s look at 10 possible reasons why a positive correlation might exist between their willingness to rough the rain and their chances of realizing full recovery:
1) They are more willing to work at overcoming obstacles in day-to-day life as well as those encountered with bipolar. They aren’t easily intimidated by inconveniences, like enduring a little bad weather or working through their issues.
2) They maintain a healthy perspective. Every day can’t be rain-free, or symptom-free.
3) They tend to see the positives in life over the negatives. Though the weather outside may be frightful, attending a support group can still be delightful!
4) They have a can-do spirit and don’t give up easily. When battling the blows of bipolar, they bravely try to weather the storm.
5) They don’t look for excuses for not doing what’s in their best interest, from taking medication to getting sound sleep.
6) They are more likely to have and follow through on an established contingency plan, whether driving carefully when roads are slick or contacting a loved one in a crisis.
7) They value consistency and commitment. They stick to proven recovery strategies, such as routinely attending support groups to help stay on top of mood management.
8) They realize that dark, dreary days can negatively impact a person’s spirit. Choosing to get up, get out, and go to group helps keep potential depression at bay.
9) They are not easily defeated. They see challenges—from avoiding puddles to making it through a difficult day—as conquerable.
10) They rely on trusted resources, from using an umbrella to stay dry to relying on a competent, compassionate psychiatrist or a capable, caring therapist to help see them through a difficult diagnosis.
When you’re facing rough weather or a challenging period in your life, how do you respond? Many decide to do nothing. Others develop a doom-and-gloom disposition. But some choose to do what it takes to keep forging ahead!
Dealing with bipolar is no picnic. But you don’t have to let routine rainy days dampen your spirits. A line from the movie Singing in the Rain really hits home for me: “The show must go on. Come rain, come shine, come snow, come sleet, the show must go on.”
In living with bipolar, I eventually accepted the notion that life must go on. When weathering storms, I try not to dwell on my despair but to envision, in my mind’s eye, the possibility of sunnier days ahead. Consciously choosing to see circumstances from the most positive perspective possible is the beginning of changing things for the better.
When the dark clouds of bipolar are “raining” heavily upon you, you can still actively choose to manage your mindset for the better. You can decide to make the most of a difficult situation. You can keep dancing down the road to recovery—singing in the rain.
Used by permission.