Cell phone comment and update on DS with bipolar disorder.
Nov 12, 2015 17:35:02 GMT
RosieKat, Montannie, and 14 more like this
Post by sharlag on Nov 12, 2015 17:35:02 GMT
DS is doing pretty well. He's obtained and held a job for a couple of weeks. He had a depressed episode a couple of weeks ago for 4-5 days that manifested in anger/irritability rather than sadness. The rest of the time he's been functioning and finding satisfaction with living and seeming to experience some happiness like he did before. He's more forgetful and flaky than before. He frequently loses his keys, for example, and has a lot of 'oh crap, I forgot!' moments. I wonder if it's the meds or the bipolar. I hope these issues will dissipate, or he'll learn some ways to work around them.
He's developed several self-comforting or self-soothing? habits like getting some house plants to fuss over, and adding lots of lotions and other products to his hygiene regimen. He's started attending a boxing club, and enjoys it. In general, he's implementing coping strategies that are helping himself.
Just typing that out was comforting to me, because as I itemize how he's helping himself, it balances the stuff I've been worrying about that he still is challenged by. Like many, I tend to focus on the concerns rather than the victories.
On to the cell phone topic: back in September when he was terribly depressed and having periods of fear and delusions, he relied REALLY heavily on calling me. I had more calls than I can count from him that started, "Mom, I'm scared!" Even now, I actually have a little racing heartbeat when I see an incoming call from him, because of that several week-long period of his panicky phone calls. When I didn't answer my phone, his fear would escalate, thinking something had happened to me. I have just in the last 2 weeks STOPPED carrying my phone with me in my bra, so that I'd be available always.
Even though he has not made one of those panicky calls to me in WEEKS, I still answer the phone when he calls. I did it yesterday when a clerk was ringing me up for a gift shop purchase. No one else was in the store, but I would have answered if it had been Black Friday and crowds of angry people were waiting behind me. I actually mentally flashed to threads here where I've seen the ire generated by public cell phone usage. But I answered the phone without hesitation. I need to figure out when I can relax that policy, I suppose.
The whole experience has taught me firsthand that we encounter people out there who have shit going on that, if we knew about, might dampen our irritation at their behavior. Drivers, shoppers, cell phone users... might be really wrestling with something that explains their seemingly irrational or rude actions..
I really don't mean to be 'hand slappy'. This is just something I knew that I wanted to tell you all about.
He's developed several self-comforting or self-soothing? habits like getting some house plants to fuss over, and adding lots of lotions and other products to his hygiene regimen. He's started attending a boxing club, and enjoys it. In general, he's implementing coping strategies that are helping himself.
Just typing that out was comforting to me, because as I itemize how he's helping himself, it balances the stuff I've been worrying about that he still is challenged by. Like many, I tend to focus on the concerns rather than the victories.
On to the cell phone topic: back in September when he was terribly depressed and having periods of fear and delusions, he relied REALLY heavily on calling me. I had more calls than I can count from him that started, "Mom, I'm scared!" Even now, I actually have a little racing heartbeat when I see an incoming call from him, because of that several week-long period of his panicky phone calls. When I didn't answer my phone, his fear would escalate, thinking something had happened to me. I have just in the last 2 weeks STOPPED carrying my phone with me in my bra, so that I'd be available always.
Even though he has not made one of those panicky calls to me in WEEKS, I still answer the phone when he calls. I did it yesterday when a clerk was ringing me up for a gift shop purchase. No one else was in the store, but I would have answered if it had been Black Friday and crowds of angry people were waiting behind me. I actually mentally flashed to threads here where I've seen the ire generated by public cell phone usage. But I answered the phone without hesitation. I need to figure out when I can relax that policy, I suppose.
The whole experience has taught me firsthand that we encounter people out there who have shit going on that, if we knew about, might dampen our irritation at their behavior. Drivers, shoppers, cell phone users... might be really wrestling with something that explains their seemingly irrational or rude actions..
I really don't mean to be 'hand slappy'. This is just something I knew that I wanted to tell you all about.
