In Life's Backpack.

This is Diana Sidorevich's thought.

I think a strong sense of self and purpose need to line the backpack. This may grow out of religious or spiritual practice.

Literacy is next for me. I think that if I could still keep and use my literacy, I could bear a lot. Besides, reading is one of the best ways to learn. Reading is always required and always available.

Self-expression is the other side of literacy. My backpack would, at the very least, hold a pen and a notebook. Of course, expression will take different forms for different people. My mom might have knitting needles and yarn in her backpack.

Medication: for some people, this is vital. It's not perfect--it's just another tool. But without it, items may begin to disappear from the backpack.

Relaxation, Comfort, Leisure, Self-Expression

I read somewhere that these were essential for people with bipolar disorder. Of course, they're also important in some form for anyone.

These seem similar, but I guess they aren't really. I like taking a good look at similar words to see their subtle differences.


People with bipolar disorder probably need Relaxation to calm anxiety and to make sleep easier. Relaxation may quiet racing thoughts and pressured speech. But it's hard to get motivated to relax. It might have to be a scheduled activity, something that one does regardless of mood state. Closing one's eyes in sunshine. Lying down and praying. Meditating or doing yoga. Allowing someone else to do a pressing task. 

Comfort is a path to healing, and it can make mood states more bearable. A warm aromatherapy bath . Cool water on one's wrists and arms. Soup with a big spoon. Snuggling into a corner with a generous blanket. Rereading old letters or special E-mails. 

Leisure is a break from work. Since many people with bipolar disorder have trouble with executive functioning, work and house and family management may be especially exhausting and depleting. Leisure is a chance to connect to onself and one's interests. Depression kills connection and passion. But a stretch of time may awaken a person, whether he or she is ill or stable. When we have time to do whatever we want, we get to see what matters. 

Self-Expression makes good use of maddening energy. The bipolar mind is wild--both dangerous and fascinating. It needs at outlet--probably more than one. A person with bipolar disorder needs at least one patient listener who will hear racing thoughts yet also be comfortable in silence.