You are never alone... nothing is going to happen today that God and you can't handle together

Dear Friends,

Thanks for stopping by! Thank God for His goodness to us daily.

♥ Thanks for your prayers for me. Thank God for strengthening me day by day and I am much better now. I do still experience a little dizziness daily every now and then but the intensity has lessened and so I am more functional. I am getting use to it and am thankful to God for protecting me from falls and restoring me. Thank you so much for all your prayers and encouragements!

♥ Thank God in the past month of slowing down and recuperation He enables me to spend more time in reading His Words, prayers and also reading other books. God's Words brings me great comfort and through every difficulty He enables me to understand a little better His love, His sovereignty, His goodness and mercies.

♥ I thank God for enabling me to rediscover the joy of prayers, in communion with God and praising Him. I am learning the joy of resting in our Lord and being assured of His love and mercies no matter what we go through in this life.

Casting all your care upon him; for he careth for you.
1 Peter 5:7

♥ I thank God too for helping me to rediscover the importance of praying for one another. We all go through various ups and downs in this life and sometimes as much as we want to help one another, there are at times very little we can do for one another. We may not always understand why God allows our loved ones and brethren to go through certain trials in their life but we have no doubt at all of His love and His promise that He works all things for His glory and our good. And we have the privilege to bring all our cares to God in prayers and commit ourselves and our loved ones and friends into His mighty hands for with Him all things are possible. He will most assuredly deliver our loved ones and friends in His time or sustain them in the trials of their life and working all things for their good. Thank God for always hearing our prayers and working His ways for us, sometimes not what we desire but always His best for us.

♥ Here are some simple Christian bookmarks that I have made to remind myself of the importance of prayers whether it be for myself or my loved ones and friends. We are never alone because the Lord is with us. And when we feel that we can't take it anymore we can take our difficulties to our Lord in prayers and find strength in Him to go through all the challenges we face daily.

Do feel free to download these bookmarks and make them for yourself or your friends. 

To make these Free Christian Bookmarks with Bible verses :

1) Download the picture
- Put your cursor on the picture
- Right Click your mouse
- Saved the .jpg picture into your computer

2) Insert this picture into a Word Processor (such as MicroSoft Word).

3) Use a color printer to print.

4) Cut out the bookmark and laminate it. The bookmark will be more lasting if you laminate it.
 

For more Free Christian Bookmarks Templates:

Various Bible verses , Birthday Prayer , All things for good , God is our refuge and strength , God's Grace , Strength from God, Prayers , With God all things are possible , God holds my tomorrow , Help me to remember, Lord, nothings gonna happen today that you and I can't handle together , The Cross in My Pocket , Whatever our need , When there seems no way out, let God in , You are never alone

Resources for Free Calendars, Cards, Bookmarks, Handicrafts:

• Free printable Bookmarks
• Free printable Calendars 2011 and 2012
• Free printable Cards with quotes / sayings
• Free printable Children / Kids Arts and Crafts
• Free printable Bookmarks, Cards, Calendars, Handicrafts
• Free resources for cross-stitch and knitting ideas
• Free resources for Origami and other paper crafts

♥ I thank God for my family, my church, my friends and everyone of you, my dear blogging friends, and for your prayers and encouragements. They mean a lot to me especially as I wait upon our Lord for restoration.You have made a great difference in my life by your friendship and encouraging notes. I thank God for every one of you. You are in my thoughts and prayers too.

Thank you for stopping by. Take care and have a blessed day!

How do I cope with the hypomanic or manic phase of bipolar disorder (hypomania or mania)?

Dear Friends,

Thanks for stopping by! Trust you have had a blessed and wonderful weekend. Thank God for the beginning of a new week to walk with Him and serve Him.

Recently, I received an email from one of the readers of my blog. She noticed that I don't touch much on the manic state of Bipolar Disorder and on how I am learning to cope with manic state. I have written much on the Depression phase of bipolar disorder and been sharing about how to identify the signs and symptoms, and what are the coping strategies that I have been learning to use to help me to be more functional besides medical help and looking to God.

I have found some helpful articles on the internet on bipolar disorder and the mania / hypomania phase.

Bipolar Disorder causes dramatic mood swings—from overly "high" and/or irritable to sad and hopeless, and then back again, often with periods of normal mood in between. Severe changes in energy and behavior go along with these changes in mood. The periods of highs and lows are called episodes of mania and depression.
 
What is mania? What are the signs and symptoms?

Signs and symptoms of mania (or a manic episode) include:

• Increased energy, activity, and restlessness

• Excessively "high," overly good, euphoric mood

• Extreme irritability

• Racing thoughts and talking very fast, jumping from one idea to another

• Distractibility, can't concentrate well

• Little sleep needed

• Unrealistic beliefs in one's abilities and powers

• Poor judgment

• Spending sprees

• A lasting period of behavior that is different from usual

• Increased sexual drive

• Abuse of drugs, particularly cocaine, alcohol, and sleeping medications

• Provocative, intrusive, or aggressive behavior

• Denial that anything is wrong

A manic episode is diagnosed if elevated mood occurs with three or more of the other symptoms most of the day, nearly every day, for 1 week or longer. If the mood is irritable, four additional symptoms must be present.

A mild to moderate level of mania is called hypomania. Hypomania may feel good to the person who experiences it and may even be associated with good functioning and enhanced productivity. Thus even when family and friends learn to recognize the mood swings as possible bipolar disorder, the person may deny that anything is wrong. Without proper treatment, however, hypomania can become severe mania in some people or can switch into depression.

Descriptions offered by people with bipolar disorder give valuable insights into the various mood states associated with the illness:

Hypomania: At first when I'm high, it's tremendous… ideas are fast… like shooting stars you follow until brighter ones appear…. All shyness disappears, the right words and gestures are suddenly there… uninteresting people, things become intensely interesting. Sensuality is pervasive, the desire to seduce and be seduced is irresistible. Your marrow is infused with unbelievable feelings of ease, power, well-being, omnipotence, euphoria… you can do anything… but, somewhere this changes.

Mania: The fast ideas become too fast and there are far too many… overwhelming confusion replaces clarity… you stop keeping up with it—memory goes. Infectious humor ceases to amuse. Your friends become frightened…. everything is now against the grain… you are irritable, angry, frightened, uncontrollable, and trapped.

This is taken from an article from the website of National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH). NIMH said "NIMH publications are in the public domain and may be reproduced or copied without the permission from the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH). NIMH encourages you to reproduce them and use them in your efforts to improve public health. Citation of the National Institute of Mental Health as a source is appreciated."

Read more here.

Another helpful website listed Some ways on How to cope with Hypomania:

1. Get enough sleep. Patients experiencing a hypomanic episode often feel a decreased need for sleep. This is an important warning sign of the condition and stabilization is key. Try your best to return your sleep patterns to normal. If you are unable to sleep, contact a doctor or mental health specialist.

2. Refrain from making important decisions despite the impulsive urge. Wait until you feel normal before rushing into any action you may regret later. Maintaining awareness of your character and patterns are important.

3.  Refrain from excess caffeine, sugar and alcohol because they are stimulants and may keep you from getting the rest you need.

4. Engage in calming activities and refrain from over-stimulating environments.

5. Identify members of your personal support system, such as family members, friends and loved ones, and reach out to them as necessary.

6. Contact your local medical and/or mental health provider for ongoing help.

7. Call 911 immediately for assistance if you are thinking about suicide

Read more here.

Actually, for me personally, my depression episodes have been more severe, prominent and paralysing, and I have been learning intensively how to manage it besides medication and looking to God. So I was able to write and share what I am learning along the way and what are my coping strategies thus far.

As for manic, whenever I am well, I am a little hypomanic but I don't really get very manic. I am still learning to identify when I am hypomanic and what are the things I do when I am hypomanic. So I don't really have much to share yet and that is why I have not written about it on my blog.

My hypomania is partly controlled by medication. I am taking an anti-psychotic (Seroquel 25mg) every evening which helps to slow me down and sleep through the night.

My psychiatrist is training me to identify my hypomanic phase. Keeping a Mood Chart is one of the way to track and see how my mood fluctuates and what may have caused it. I try to chart down my mood for each day, whether it is depression, normal or hypomanic. This way, I can kind of identify the triggering factors and try to work on resolving it from getting worst or do what can be helpful to get better.

Recently, I have been learning to identify that one of my hypomanic behaviour is I tend to write long emails to many people, or make many gifts or buy many gifts for many people when I am hypomanic. I tend also to take on many projects and have many ideas on what to do. These often lead to over-exhaustion, burn out and eventually depression. So now I am learning to cut down on these whenever I notice it. That's if I notice it :) I am learning to let go and set my priority on choosing what I need to do now and what can wait. Thank God also for some friends around me who constantly remind me to slow down when they sense that I am doing more than I ought to do.

Do you know of any other strategies that is helpful in managing mania or hypomania? Do feel free to share with me and my readers. 

Thank you once again for stopping by. Take care and have a blessed week!

Warm Regards,

Nancie

11 August 2010

We know that all things work together for good to them that love God...

I took this picture at Hort Park, Singapore

“We know that all things work together
for good to them that love God.”
- Romans 8:28

Dear Friends,

Thanks for stopping by! Thank God for His goodness to us daily.

♥ Thanks for your prayers for me. I am still experiencing dizziness daily every now and then but so much better now. Thank God for strengthening me day by day and I am more functional this week. I also had a mild asthmatic attack last Sunday due to heavy rain for a few days and extremely cold temperature. I thank God that He sustains me and restore me day by day.

♥ I thank God that He gives me simple joy and peace in Him despite some health issues recently. I am learning to rest in Him and to rejoice in Him no matter what happens. The Lord in His faithfulness has shown me time and again that He is in control and He works all things for His glory and our good. This gives me the courage to press on daily in His grace and strength no matter what happens and through all the changing scenes in life.

♥  I thank God for the encouraging devotional the Lord used to minister to me this morning from CH Spurgeon's Morning and Evening. Spurgeon said:

“We know that all things work together for good to them that love God.” - Romans 8:28

Upon some points a believer is absolutely sure.

He knows, for instance, that God sits in the stern-sheets of the vessel when it rocks most. He believes that an invisible hand is always on the world’s tiller, and that wherever providence may drift, Jehovah steers it. That re-assuring knowledge prepares him for everything.

He looks over the raging waters and sees the spirit of Jesus treading the billows, and he hears a voice saying, “It is I, be not afraid.”

He knows too that God is always wise, and, knowing this, he is confident that there can be no accidents, no mistakes; that nothing can occur which ought not to arise.

He can say, “If I should lose all I have, it is better that I should lose than have, if God so wills: the worst calamity is the wisest and the kindest thing that could befall to me if God ordains it.” “We know that all things work together for good to them that love God.”... continue reading

♥ I thank God for my family, my church, my friends and everyone of you, my dear blogging friends, and for your prayers and encouragements. They mean a lot to me especially as I wait upon our Lord for restoration.You have made a great difference in my life by your friendship and encouraging notes. I thank God for every one of you. You are in my thoughts and prayers too.

Thank you for stopping by. Take care and have a blessed day!

Warm Regards,
Nancie