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Living with symptoms of Bipolar 2 - Use art to thrive.

LisaDianaWhy Art Journal?

LisaDiana Delaney

Because I want to feel better!  I finally want to be in control of my brain disease symptoms and be able to function like a "normal" person.  To do that, I need to be able to "dump" my symptoms .  

Did you see I didn't say, "my emotions"? Why?  Because I see Bi-Polar 2 as a brain disease with symptoms NOT a mental illness.  That's MY view on it.  It's not in my mind.  It's in my brain and it causes anxiety, panic, tremors, stammering, dizziness, exhaustion and a depth of depression that is bottomless.  Those are MY symptoms.  I don't create them.  They are caused by my brain disease.  I'm not responsible for my symptoms any more than a cancer patient is responsible for hers.  My view might not be familiar or popular but I believe the only way to change anything, like the terrible stigma of "mental illness" is to change the way people talk about it.  So, I changed the wording to----brain disease with symptoms.

How I learned to accept my symptoms
For years, my symptoms ran amuck and made it very difficult for me to feel stable.  I also felt very guilty if I ever "dumped" my symptoms on my loved ones so I lived in a pretty unpleasant silence about the depth and array of my symptoms.  I couldn't hide them all, of course, but I sure did try.   It wasn't until I was 44 that I gave up trying.  I finally accepted my diagnosis, changed my verbiage and decided to figure out how to live with a brain disease.  I got the right doctor and got the right medication but those symptoms were here to stay.  That's when I figured it out.  Instead of "dumping" my symptoms on my loved ones, why not "dump" them into something else?  But, what?

How I learned to THRIVE
My goal was to live with this disease but really, I wanted to THRIVE.  I needed to be able to dump my symptoms at any moment and in any place so it had to be a physical thing and one I could transport easily.  A book.  That would work!  I'll just write them all down in a journal.  That would be easy and portable. Only problem, I was never into journal writing.   So, I kept thinking.

I've loved empty notebooks since I was a kid because they had so much potential.  I kept thinking.  I also loved my grandfather's tiny art studio as a kid and was always inspired when I walked in there.  I kept thinking.  Then I saw them!  ART JOURNALS!!  There were even FaceBook groups devoted to creating them.  I was so excited and couldn't wait to create one. Even more, I was excited to see if it would help.

LisaDiana art journal

LisaDiana Delaney Art Journal

LisaDiana art journal2

LisaDiana Delaney www.lisadianadelaney.com

LisaDiana art journal3

LisaDiana Art Journal

Get to know LisaDiana Delaney better

LisaDiana ginger dawn

LisaDiana Delaney - Ginger Dawn

That's what my blog and site are all about--thriving with a brain disease and art journaling. Follow me and see how I do it every day!

www.lisadianadelaney.com

 

Source: http//:www.lisadianadelaney.com

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