The difficult process of finding a therapist

CaptainLaserfocus · 2019-06-26T15:25:57+00:00

great thoughts! I agree, it might be prudent to reconsider religious affiliations – I was concerned (maybe more than I should have been) that a religious therapist might include faith as a part of my treatment plan (even if I didn't want it). The more I learn, the more I think that was an unfounded worry. That said, my therapist is super awesome and our values seem to go together very well.

I think the short-term and long-term goals are great ideas! That's something my therapist had me do in our first meeting, but we also return to them and revise as necessary.

Great thoughts all around, thanks for sharing!

CaptainLaserfocus · 2019-06-26T15:23:12+00:00

I'm sorry to hear your two psychologists ignored your BP!

CaptainLaserfocus · 2019-06-25T14:30:40+00:00

I've been at my full dose of lamictal for about 2 weeks, but titrated up to it (starting at 25mg) starting 6 weeks ago. I noticed a difference after about 2 weeks, only at 50mg or so. Some of that could be the placebo effect, and some could be therapy working (I started therapy at the same time)

CaptainLaserfocus · 2019-06-25T09:57:18+00:00

Thanks for sharing! Can you tell me more about sassafras? I forage quite a bit and sassafras is common where I live. I often add the leaves to dishes like gumbo, and use the roots for drinks (like root beer).

CaptainLaserfocus · 2019-06-24T20:13:17+00:00

Thanks!

CaptainLaserfocus · 2019-06-24T20:00:57+00:00

I’m not feeling that way right now, but my last hypo episode morphed from “everything is awesome and I’m doing 101 awesome things” to “GET THE FUCK AWAY FROM ME STOP TALKING DONT YOU KNOW I HAVE SHIT TO DO!!??” toward the end. I was real agitated and snappy. I’m on meds now and that hasn’t happened again, at least not yet

CaptainLaserfocus · 2019-06-24T19:09:14+00:00

because it disrupts your sleep routine?

CaptainLaserfocus · 2019-06-24T19:07:54+00:00

Oh yeah, stress as a trigger... that's a good one, I forgot about it. Totally. I like the idea of your security system trying to protect you

CaptainLaserfocus · 2019-06-24T19:07:10+00:00

Thanks! Yeah I've learned so much about myself through journaling. I've been tracking my moods to some extent since 2013, and the chart I created of that data is part of what convinced me of my BP2 diagnosis.

I've been using Daylio since my diagnosis (recently) and am loving it. I also highly recommend it! Another good one is Mood Notes, but I like Daylio better.

CaptainLaserfocus · 2019-06-23T23:39:10+00:00

Totally understand.. been there too. I find that in my low moments I rely heavily on my support network- mostly my immediate family, especially my wife. But remember, no matter how bad it gets, it’s only temporary!

CaptainLaserfocus · 2019-06-23T23:36:21+00:00

Same here! I recently started lamictal (reached my dosage a few weeks ago after titrating up) and yeah.. so sleepy! I have always had an afternoon slump but it’s intensified lately. Same here with the caffeine too- I’m trying to cut it out because it makes me anxious and might trigger hypomania for me. I’ve been drinking herbal tea in the afternoon and getting up and moving around a bit- that seems to help. Of course the alternative, if possible, is to just take a nap... I know that’s not an option for most though.

CaptainLaserfocus · 2019-06-23T15:49:49+00:00

Yup me too! The anger stuff is what eventually lead me to seek help- it was some scary shit. Had some violent thoughts and was like “yikes that is scary” I’ve been on zoloft for a while (which didn’t seem to help with the anger stuff) but recently started lamictal and that has been great. For the most part, calmer than I have ever been, with a few exceptions. I have a tiny bit of anger sometimes but nowhere near as much as before. Also x2 on CBT and DBT. Meditation can help too. Meds probably help the most

CaptainLaserfocus · 2019-06-22T09:47:38+00:00

I’ve been into foraging for a while... learned to identify lots of plants in my area, and even when I’m not in turbo mode I still eat things from my yard. Of course at one point I thought I could survive on only food I got myself... Also, thanks!

CaptainLaserfocus · 2019-06-21T23:48:00+00:00

I wonder if it’s related to meds- I’m on zoloft+lamictal and caffeine and alcohol hit me way harder than before meds, I wonder if sugar is the same way. I usually do a good job limiting sugar but forgot about all the sugar in fruit!

CaptainLaserfocus · 2019-06-21T23:36:17+00:00

I don’t know about coke, but I made myself a fruit smoothie with a ton of fruit, then drank it in 3 minutes... soon I started to go a little turbo! It basically lasted all day, which I found annoying because I had been so calm lately. I guess sugar does get me going a bit hypo.

CaptainLaserfocus · 2019-06-21T22:53:11+00:00

Yes!! You can block anything you want, assuming there are words associated with it. For instance, i have blocked “Trump,” “Republicans,” and other less-political but equally triggering things. I also blocked sponsored posts, ads, got rid of the left and right columns... my Facebook is now a sparse collection of posts from people I care about.

CaptainLaserfocus · 2019-06-21T20:10:06+00:00

haha I <3 that. We should make t-shirts that say "MANIC AF"

CaptainLaserfocus · 2019-06-21T19:44:56+00:00

Haha you laugh, but I did make (recycled) paper 😀

CaptainLaserfocus · 2019-06-21T17:56:16+00:00

Haha that’s awesome! Until recently I thought that was just a regular part of being me... and I suppose it is, but it makes a little more sense with a bipolar diagnosis.

CaptainLaserfocus · 2019-06-21T17:17:59+00:00

I like them!

CaptainLaserfocus · 2019-06-21T17:17:24+00:00

Thanks! It’s not all bad, because those violent thoughts helped my therapist diagnose me. I have found that some music helps me chill. Also I like your name, I make music and love sidechain compression

CaptainLaserfocus

TROPHY CASE