• How My Quiet Time Keeps Me Sane

    How My Quiet Time Keeps Me Sane

    These days, the first thing I do when I wake up is pray and read my Bible, right?…not. If you do, props to you! Even though my little sign above my Keurig reads, “But first Jesus, then coffee,” I’ll let you in on a secret: I do my coffee first.…

  • How My Sleep Keeps Me Sane

    How My Sleep Keeps Me Sane

    I shared with you how my favorite self-care activities help keep me from sliding back into a bipolar episode, aside from managing my medication. I want to start to share with you on a deeper level how each of those keep me sane, starting with healthy sleep hygiene. 

  • My Favorite Self-Care Activities: Part 3 of 3

    My Favorite Self-Care Activities: Part 3 of 3

    Here are the last few self-care activities that benefit me and help keep me from sliding back into another bipolar episode. In case you missed the last 2 posts:  Here’s Part One. Here’s Part Two. You’re welcome. ? Staying connected to church. There are many attractive benefits to being a…

  • My Favorite Self-Care Activities: Part 2 of 3

    My Favorite Self-Care Activities: Part 2 of 3

    Here are 3 more self-care activities I sustain to keep myself from having another episode, aside from medication management. Staying physically active. Ever since I could run, I ran. I ran with the boys down the street. I ran with the cross-country team. I ran with the track team. And…

  • My Favorite Self-Care Activities: Part 1 of 3

    My Favorite Self-Care Activities: Part 1 of 3

    To keep a well-rounded life and good routine going for maintaining my stability with bipolar, I implement a variety of self-care activities. In this 3-post series I will start with the first 3 self-care activities that help keep me from sliding back into an episode. Getting enough sleep. This may…

  • What To Do For A Loved One In Psychosis

    What To Do For A Loved One In Psychosis

    In bipolar disorder, as in schizophrenia, psychosis can be a very frightening experience. If the psychosis is left untreated, it may become full blown and even harder to manage. Here I give some advice on what to do to help your loved one through a psychotic episode. In psychosis, those…

  • Writing From The Heart Today

    Writing From The Heart Today

    Changes Are Here I wanted to write more frequently and regularly here on BipolarBrave, so today I’m writing from the heart. There’s a lot of changes going on in my life lately. Not working full time is one of them. I think there is no right or wrong answer, but…

  • 3 Irrational Fears and How I Need to Face Them

    3 Irrational Fears and How I Need to Face Them

    Fear is a funny thing. It can drive us away from something, or can drive us to do something. In my life, fear has taken many forms and caused a variety of behaviors, but the three more common fears that I face are being rejected, being vulnerable, and being judged.…

  • Faith It Till You Make It: And Other Tips To Improve Your Resiliency

    Faith It Till You Make It: And Other Tips To Improve Your Resiliency

    Resiliency is not an automatic characteristic. Like any strength, it improves with practice. Exercise puts stress on the body – good stress. When I trained for a half marathon, I had to work my way up to the 13.1 miles the race called for. It took time and effort, and…

  • Elaine Creasman Guest Posts: Never Alone in Our Pain

    Elaine Creasman Guest Posts: Never Alone in Our Pain

    Elaine is an author and inspirational speaker, founder of the Suncoast (Florida) Christian Writers Group, and kindred spirit. I met Elaine at this year’s Florida Christian Writers Conference and was delighted to hear her take on mental health in the church. Here is a guest post from her, articulating the…