As bipolar women and men, we are faced with choices and a decision: either struggle and wallow in it, die for it, or do everything we can to tame it. We will never beat it. We must learn to coexist with it, better than we're doing now.
Ah, make no mistake. We are survivors. We have weathered The Perfect Storm and our very presence here bears witness to the tale. We are not liars and fakers. We have not conjured this mental malady as a tool for manipulation, or slacking or self-pity. We have not manifested this hell upon ourselves through want or need or imagination.
We are not incompetent. We are not deaf and blind. Our voices go mute at times because the world is too much. Too bright. Too loud. Too harsh. Too violent. If only they saw the way we see ....
Regular physical exercise levels the playing field. It builds our self-confidence, lightens our step and our outlook on the world. It helps shhsssh that constant negative mindvoice that tells us we're not good enough, that other people can tell by looking at us that we're not one of them. Feeling good about ourselves extends itself to good will toward others. We know we're receiving what we project, yet we are prone to forget this small universal law when we're spiraling in the throes of the Bipolar Affective Spectrum.
Exercise is at least as important as the pharmaceuticals -- it's another means of altering chemistry. Aerobics and weight-bearing exercise are another form of self-medicating -- the good kind: they release feel-good hormones, lubricants for our joints, improve our memory, better our balance, purge toxins, build muscle which eats calories, strengthens and increases our bone density. In dual studies, regular exercise was proven to drastically reduce the risk for cancer (don't ask me the numbers.).
Do weights three times a week, every other day. Walk and/or bicycle for one hour on the inbetween days. Take Sundays off -- or not. You'll notice the overall mood change after three weeks. Week eight, you'll look better. You'll see the physical difference. Another mood burst.
You'll feel strong, experience less aches and pains, feel less depressed. You have no control over your disorder. But this is something you can control -- you can better your body, thereby bettering yourself overall.
If you're not into programmed, regimented exercise -- s t r e t c h. Breathe deeply, inhaling the air through your nose into your belly. Exhale from your belly through your mouth, slowly, deeply. Seven times. Rotate your head seven times clockwise, then seven counterclockwise, move to shoulder rotations, arms circles, waist rotations, et cetera. Move everything. Put on your favorite CD and dance.
Find the joy. It's waiting for you. Exercise can help -- exponentially.
We're still here .... might as well.
somaphx
Edited 11/3/2009 5:41 am ET by somaphx
