My 4 S's: Serenity, Sobriety, Sanity, and Stability

Hey, y'all --

I saw this posted elsewhere and wanted to pass it on to you, because I never thought of it before, and think it's a great idea:

"One of the best ways to keep your doctor informed is by fax. Did you know this? If you type out what you're experiencing and then fax it over to your doctor's office, that paper will go right into your doctor's hand and you don't have to worry about trying to explain it all to a receptionist. I really recommend this, I do it all the time, for every type of doctor we have. If you don't have a fax at home, go to your local Staples or Office Max or Kinkos or any photocopy type place and they will fax it for you for just a couple of bucks. "

Sometimes it takes the simplest of solutions to solve the most complicated of problems!

My problems always fall into 4 categories: Serenity, Sobriety, Sanity, and Stability -- my 4 S's.

When I'm feeling agitated, iritable, short-tempered, or just plain pissed off, my serenity is off-kilter. I look at the Serenity Prayer, and see where I'm falling short. Usually it has to do with people, places, or things, and that they're not being the way *I* want them to be. So I have to work on accepting them just as they are (the hardest thing for me to do), instead of the way I would like them to be. I have to remind myself that there is a God, and I'm not Him!

When I'm feeling really nervous and wanting to drink or drug, my sobriety is in jeopardy. But, fortunately, I have a good support system for that -- AA, my husband (who is also in the program), my sponsor in AA, and many friends I can call who are also in the program. I have a healthy fear of ever drinking or drugging again -- the next time I may not make it back alive, and that's the truth. So I am very protective of my sobriety.

Then there's my sanity, which comes from two places -- first of all, from God, who restored me to sanity in the 2nd/3rd steps of the AA program; and secondly, the medication I take for my BP. Yes, I was definitely insane before both. Do you know the definition of insanity? It's doing the same thing over and over again, expecting different results. That definitely described me!

And then, of course, is my stability. My bipolar stability. Which comes not just from medication, but from my whole treatment program. Medication by itself will not keep me stable in the long run. I need therapy, a strong support system, good diet, exercise, good sleep pattern, etc., and all of it working in tandem to keep me relatively stress-free so it doesn't set off my triggers to a bipolar episode; i.e., so I can stay stable.

So, my 4 S's -- Serenity, Sobriety, Sanity, and Stability -- how I maintain a happy, healthy, productive, and successful life, in spite of having bipolar disorder.

Hopefully, you can do the same!

Remember that God loves you and so do I!
Michele