Bipolar Questions Version 4

No.

How free do you feel.

no.

I think all this "new year new start thing" is a load of tosh

the way I see it is like this

if new year was really a new start, then everything in life we didn't like or hurt us would be deleted like a computer programme.

new year new start..... it's a number. that's all

oh I know, it's the 1st october tomorrow- let's make a fresh start because september's finished

no no no. you don't do that. what's fresh about the new year is the number

nothing else.

favorite way to relax (which is not sleep.)

Not very. I live with and care for two family members in varying degrees of poor health and feel a bit tied down right now. Some day, I’d love to live on my own and be free to come and go without obligations.

Have you made peace with your diagnosis?

Sort of. Some days more than others. I've made as much peace with it as I have with other major factors of my life that are unfavourable. But I am more at peace with it than when I was first diagnosed.

Do you have a pet or pets?

Yes. I have a Hahn's macaw (mini macaw) who is pictured in my screen avatar. He'll be 2 years old in March. Love him!

What is your usual fall asleep time and wake up time? What do you do to help yourself fall asleep?

I fall asleep at midnight usually, and am up at 2:30am for the day. I have been trying ambien but it only works for about two hours. My sleep has been like this for two years.

What's your favorite soda?

Mello Yello.

Do you have difficulties with the holiday season?

Yes, but I’m not sure why. I find the whole thing stressful and chaotic, but comparatively, I have very little to prepare for than most other people.

Q: When the clock strikes midnight tonight, where will you be?

in my bedroom watching the countdown on tv (and hopefully rita ora, or some other awesome pop star seeing in the new year)

last year they did a robbie williams concert and it was fab

how do you feel about 2019? (that is, do you have hope, or feel it will be a bad year, etc)

I do have hope and believe that 2019 will be amazing.

What are you looking forward to in 2019?

Feeling I'm mostly better from the strep No more fever at least, but the diarrhea from the antibiotic is not fun, and I have to keep downing fluids to not get dehydrated.

I dread all the weight loss stuff for the new year, with the ED. Everyone is on a diet. Calories, amount of exercise, weight lost, actual weight, wanting to lose weight, calories, foods start dominating my FB feed, but I have 1 sister who only updates on FB and she is the mother of my 2 nephews, so I like reading what's going on with her & her family, especially the boys. New years and diet stuff constant while watching live TV, and I like to watch Discovery ID live because I like the shows but not so much to DVR them. Often, I will play a tablet game that requires minimal attention while listening and sometimes watching the TV. Mostly, I listen it. I like shows that have more narration I've found because of just being able to listen a lot. Diets galore on women's magazines. Well, that's pretty much year round but more prominent this time of year; you cannot buy a women's magazine without weight loss tips in it; even cooking magazines tend to have low fat/lower calorie versions of recipes somewhere in the magazine. I guess maybe if I looked at a boring one about gardening or something, but I don't know. I tend to pick up back issues of magazines at the library, where the Friends of the Library sell used books, DVDs, puzzles to raise money for the library; usually the magazines are free or 25 cents a piece.

And who knows what member of my family will decide to diet? At least one usually does: the sister posting on Facebook (though she cannot exercise too much because of recent knee surgery), my mother, one of my aunts & her husband. One or all tend to resolve to lose weight, especially my mom & this one aunt because the aunt lives next to my grandmother (their mom), and my mom does a lot of shuttling and care for my grandmother now.

Hugs to all needing them

Long overdue endings and much needed new beginnings.

What's the last thing you did just for the heck of it?

Attended a drum circle.

Do you take naps during the day?

No, almost never. I can't fall asleep. On the very rare occasions I have, I usually woke up disoriented and "hungover" feeling.

Do you like to dance? If so, to what music?

Yes, I love to dance to disco music.

Are you stable? If so, for how long?

I am not super stable. I am working on it. My new pdoc and I have tapered/discontinued 4 meds and I am now on just two psych meds. I enjoy the fewer side-effects. We will continue to work at finding stability.

Do you have a NYE and/or a New Year's Day tradition? What are they?
If not, what are you doing for NYE and/or Jan. 1st?


WC

not doing anything.

eating chicken and pretending it's still 2018 (which shouldn't be too difficult to do, seeing as every day for me is the same almost.)

question: what happens to your christmas cards after christmas?. if you throw them away, how long after christmas do you chuck them

If they're still here come January, they must have been really good Christmas cards. Generally, they get binned by the 27th at my house.

Are you a "trip to the beach" kind of person or a "trip to the museum" kind of person on vacation.

I’m more of a “trip to the state park” kind of person. If I had to choose between the beach and the museum......hmmm, it would depend who I was with, but probably the beach.

Q: Have you ever been in group therapy? If so, was it helpful?

yes.... and no.

I find working in a group distracting and feel unable to contribute much (I think because I just struggle with people)

question: did you hear many fireworks at midnight?, or is it quieter where you are