Mental Health Awareness Month

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April Showers might bring May Flowers but is also brings Mental Health Awareness Month in the United States. 

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Now despite what a lot of Americans think mental health awareness is actually not a new concept but rather a shift in attitudes. The first mental health awareness week was observed in the early 1940's in May. It is kind of hard to imagine what they were making the world of aware of but there was some effort to make awareness towards mental health issues. It was not until the 1960's that Mental Health Awareness week became a month. It is still kind of hard to imagine what the awareness was back then. I can though say that was then and this is now. The concept of the month is to shift negative attitudes towards mental health and break the stigma surrounding it! 

For me mental health awareness month is not just sharing my illness but all the mental illness in general. The fact is no matter what mental illness you have been diagnosed with and no matter where you are in your journey you have likely experienced some sort of negative attitude or even been stigmatized about the illness you are living with. It is not fun being on the end of negativity or being stigmatized because of our illness but the thing I have learned there has come a point in everyone life that they have likely felt stigmatized, singled out, or stereotyped. The fact is a lot of people just don't know and it is our job to be the teacher and show the people who have the negative attitudes that they need to shift their way of thinking. The less stigmatized people feel about mental illness the more likely a person is willing to seek help and treatment. A that is one thing we want, people not be afraid to get help because of what other people may think of us. 

So I thought I would share a couple of things I have learned through my journey of Bipolar!

Hi I am Courtney! : Property of Bipolar Mom and Her Daily Life

Your illness does not define you! 

I do not walk around with a big stamp on my forehead that says Bipolar! No one else walks around with their health issue stamped on their forehead whether it is consider "physical"or "invisible". The truth is you were you before your diagnosis and you are still you after you diagnosis, This one thing alone does define who you are it is just another thing that makes you. So yes I have Bipolar but I am also a wife, mother, crafter, book addict, science geek, carnival glass collector, thrift shop hunter, music lover, nerdy, a semi-gamer, loves to match her nails to her mood, DIYer, quirky, has to left feet, gravity tester, and marches to her own drum beat.

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Be the teacher! 

I discovered the reason why people say something for the most part is not of malice or out of ill will but rather a lack of understanding. Now I know there are cases where this is completely opposite and I have faced true negativity and have been singled out because I live with Bipolar and another invisible illness. However, for most of the time the lack of knowledge seems to be real reason behind the stigma and negative attitudes. However, simply being who you are not hiding who you are is one of the biggest teaching tools of all. If someone questions about your mental illness don't hide it. Being honest with them is being honest with yourself and you can find out the reason they are asking you is because they are in need of help themselves. 

Be proactive!

Be proactive in your health, life, and your mental illness. One of the biggest stigmas we have to fight in mental illness is that we are unstable, incapable, laying in bed, and not treatable people. A lot of mental illnesses are life long illnesses and there will be bad days, time frames, and so on but we cannot live in those moments! We must always try to push to forward! You must be encouraged to seek treatment (which there are many many may types of treatments out there). We are not unstable, we capable, and treatable people! We may not have asked to have an illness but we can take control of what was handed to us!

Learning About A New Symptoms In My Daily Life: Anxiety and Panic Attacks

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As you guys know I am bipolar and part of my formal diagnosis is generalized anxiety disorder. It is really part of my diagnosis I do not talk about because it really has never presented itself to be enough  of a problem for me at least. It often goes hand in hand of bipolar and for me it leads to excessive worry of just about everything and it goes hand with my rapid thoughts. Usually it gets worse around the holidays or special events. It is something that I have been easily controlled and managed.....

However, really since the holidays my anxiety has taken on something a new roll and has presented new symptoms....symptoms I have never experienced before with my mental illness. To be honest it is a little scary to face a new area of my illness.

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So I guess I should start with a brief part of what Generalized Anxiety Disorder or GAD is. It is defined or described as exaggerated anxiety and worry about everyday life events with no obvious reason to reason. People with GAD tend to expect disaster and worry about money, health, family, work, or school. The worry/fear is often unrealistic or is out of proportion to the actual situation (which is usually where I fall).

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The common symptoms of GAD- and the symptoms I usually have

* Excessive, ongoing worry and Tension (me)

* An Unrealistic view of the problem (sometimes)

* Restlessness or feeling a bit edgy (me)

* Muscle Tension

* Headaches 

* Sweating

* Nausea 

* The need to go to the bathroom frequently

* Tiredness (me- usually after my anxiety dies down)

* Trouble, Falling, or Staying Asleep (me)

* Trembling 

* Being Easily Startled (me)

However, since the holidays my GAD has gone just what I consider "mental/emotional" symptoms. I am now experiencing the physical symptoms of GAD which has never happened along with taking longer my body to recover from what caused it. Now when these symptoms occur I am now having physical symptoms of muscle tension, nausea, crying, vomiting, and panicking. I have been talking to my counselor and he did not like how long this anxiety was occurring. Of course a lot of times you do not realize something until it is pointed out to you (well at least to me). So we agreed that I will talk to my doctor about it and figure out ways to cope with anxiety.My counselor and my brain doctor work together so it easy to express problems across boards.

So today I went to brain doctor today and we discussed my anxiety. There was an adjustment to my medications and a new way of taking of them. He also mentioned the word panic attack... me panic attacks? No no no no no ...... not this Bipolar Mom and Her Daily Life. It has taken me a long time to get where I have got and now I have to learn how to deal, live, thrive, and strive through another symptom/symptoms.

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So here I am just a Bipolar Mom.... with her Daily Life... facing a new challenge...... or maybe not so new...just a different face

References:

http://www.webmd.com/anxiety-panic/guide/generalized-anxiety-disorder?page=3

What My Page and Blog Is Really About...

What is your page about?

What does this have to be with being bipolar?

Are you really Bipolar? 

You seem to positive all the time do your moods ever change?

Your Page Is Not Like Other Bipolar Pages?

I am a mom, wife, and daughter but I am also diagnosed and live with two health conditions bipolar and PCOS. However, these two sole thing do not define my life or are "me", there are numerous things that make me. That is why I created the blog "Bipolar Mom and Her Daily Life" and then after the Facebook page. Now the overall purpose/goal of this blog and page is show people that you can live, strive through the obstacles that you face, and accomplish so much through in ones life. 

I can achieve this with a small amount of education of mental illness and PCOS but also how I live my life with these two health issues. So what does this have to be with being bipolar? I ask you how is this not related to being bipolar? I am me! I live my life! I do not wake up going "How is this going to be a bipolar day?" but instead think of what I have to do that day and if my moods happen to go off like a light switch or I feel myself going up or down then I do it what I do when it comes to being bipolar. As I stated before being bipolar is only aspect of my life. So on my blog and page you will discover in many aspects I am just like anyone else! Who would have thought! I love to craft, cook, diying, and everything else in between. I take care of my household which includes a handsome Marine and two beautiful miracles. So why not share it? It is my daily life! If  I share my experiences through my page and blog of my music therapy, crafts, my journals, routine, books, doctor appointments related to my mental health or PCOS and end up help just one person then I have reached my purpose of this blog and the forms of Social Media I created.

I was questioned the other day are you really bipolar? You seem to be to positive do your moods ever change? At first I was taken a back but then laughed to myself about this question. I guess I do not super show it on my page but I choose not express my 24/7. If I did express my mood like that on the page I would never get any sleep and you would likely get sick of my page and think of my page nothing more of attention seeker. Instead I love to express myself through humor, sayings, quotes, inspiration, and so on. This type of expression would also include areas of my health as well. However, this page is about Bipolar too so there are times I will and have focused on my mood. I believe it is important to let people who follow my page that I do go through downs or not feeling well. It is something I need to be open about because it is apart of my life. I do not however post or blog about all my downs or mood shifts because I do not believe that serves the overall purpose/goal of my page and blog. It is often very hard to explain mood shifts especially the downs because I just don't know. I can educate you mood shifts and what it is like to fall down the rabbit hole but I like to show you how I pull myself out of that hole as well. I also believe to much negativity can be a very bad thing not only to purpose/goal of pages in your actual life and it is something I would rather not have on page or blog every day but instead replacing it with overcoming whatever that negativity is one life. 

Why doesn't your page look like other bipolar pages? How is my page and blog suppose to look? I follow many mental health pages and I can tell you each of us are unique each bonded together by some sort of mental illness. Some of these pages are pure educational, just personal blogs, focused on a certain mental illness, and so on. My page simply speaks for me as their page speaks for them hopefully. 

What I love about my page and blog I think it goes beyond just some one who lives with bipolar and PCOS. I have already met so many wonderful people through the page and blog growth. Of course I met other people like me who live with or know someone with a mental illness but I have met crafters, business owners, farmers, homesteaders, cooks, just for fun communities, bloggers, and so on! One of the best things that have happened though through this page and blog though are the people that have come forward with their own struggle with mental illness but never shared it with anyone for multiple reasons. 

I am not sure where my blog or page is headed or how big it will become. Am I afraid of unknown? Very much so but it is no different from a lot of the other unknowns. In life I know there will people I will come across people who do not care for me or how I run my page or blog. The fact of life is we will not be everyone' cup of tea. I can promise you though I will always promote respect, no drama, bullying, or bashing! I am a very open minded person and respect peoples values, morales, religion, and opinions. I ask you extend the me the same because I can tell you now my page will be far from being politically correct. So I will tell you Merry Christmas, send you prayers, and have post that specific overtones. You can tell me whatever you want, send positive thoughts and I will like your posts if I like them or can relate to them as long their is mutual respect. I will continue to focus on what this page and blog is becoming and getting to know other people and pages. I have already learned so many wonderful things from so many people and pages.

So this is Bipolar Mom and Her Daily Life and this what her blog and page is really like! 

A Bipolar Mom and Her Daily Life! : My Imperfect Perfect Child:Speech Delay and Embrac...

A Bipolar Mom and Her Daily Life! : My Imperfect Perfect Child:Speech Delay and Embrac...: So the moment you realize that there may something wrong with your child... your heart drops. Well I know that is how I felt when my sons do...

PCOS - Passion, Life, and Support (HOPE)

One of my faces is living with PCOS. I have know I had PCOS for almost ten years now. PCOS stands for Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome and is one of the most endocrine disorders among females. There are symptoms that have taken over my body that I am in constant fight with some are silent others I deal with on a daily basis.

Daily Battles: Weight (up, down, and every where in between), Acne (close to 30 and I have fight with my skin like I am 13), Pelvic Pain, Anxiety and Depression. 

Internal Battles: High levels of androgens, Small Cysts on my ovaries, lack of ovulation, and insulin resistance

PCOS THE SILVER BULLET

• More than 50 percent of women with PCOS will have diabetes or pre-diabetes (impaired glucose tolerance) before the age of 40.
• The risk of heart attack is 4 to 7 times higher in women with PCOS than women of the same age without PCOS.
• Women with PCOS are at greater risk of having high blood pressure.
• Women with PCOS have high levels of LDL (bad) cholesterol and low levels of HDL (good) cholesterol.
• Women with PCOS can develop sleep apnea. This is when breathing stops for short periods of time during sleep.

However, these internal an external battles leads to one of my biggest battles INFERTILITY. This is one part of PCOS that I do not wish that I had to deal with or wish on my worst enemy. The scientist can spout a thousand reasons on why women with PCOS often have trouble conceiving but it does not make it any easier. I have been married for over 6 years to my hero, my marine, and my best friend. We have been trying to have a child for five years. There is nothing that I can to explain what it is like to be infertile or having trouble to have a child. In life you find your soul mate, marry, and decide you want to start a family just to find out that you want the most. Living with PCOS is something I can handle, in fact knowing it is something that I will deal with most of my life (there is no concrete evidence that PCOS ends when menopause occurs). 

My husband and I have had gone through multiple test, procedures, and treatments. It is not an easy thing to deal with (emotionally, physically, and spiritually). There have been many days that all I can do is cry because I feel lost. I often ask myself how does something come so easy to others has become a path I would not like to be on but for some reason I was "chosen" to embark on. I use the word chosen because I believe everything happens for a reason, whether I like it or not. Even though, my husband and I are still trying to endure this path, I have known great things to occur. I never "physically" met this woman but we met in a social network site, both military wives, and both battle with PCOS. In other words we are "cysters", in the battles we face she was given a miracle. A lot of women, men, and families take for granted what a lot of women with PCOS often want most and that is to be a mother. She is proof that even in this WAR that we can overcome and win battles. Maybe one day our physical lives will one day actually meet but if not I know I have cyster for life.

If you have PCOS or you know someone with PCOS it is okay. We need to spread the word and let them know that we want to know more about this endocrine disorder. I know it is not easy for someone for just finding out they have PCOS or been dealing with this disorder for years. However, I know there is one word I live by with PCOS and that is HOPE. I give you Hope.

I HAVE INCLUDED SOME LINKS ABOUT PCOS (They Have Some Great Information about the Disorder)

http://www.pcosupport.org/

http://www.womenshealth.gov/faq/polycystic-ovary-syndrome.cfm#a

http://women.webmd.com/tc/polycystic-ovary-syndrome-pcos-topic-overview