Quote:
Originally Posted by MoxieDoll
Green-orange,
it's so completely fantastic that you care so much for your future mil, and are patient with her right now when she's obviously not in a good place. Not too many daughters in law are like that, so hopefully when she's better, she'll recognize that.
Being so new to this forum and dealing with my own dx, I can only tell you that one of my huge issues is travel of any kind. Being out of my own home and routine always sets me down a dark path for a while, so I have to be really aware of how I'm reacting to things while I'm gone and for a while after I return. Since she's visiting you at the moment, there may not actually be a whole lot that you can do to minimize her stress, other than be patient with her when she seems to be the most ill or acting out.
Again, you're doing something really wonderful for your partner and for her.
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i completely agree about how amazingly awesome it is that your instinct is to want to reach out & help in whatever way you can... rather than withdraw completely from her in abject horror... so many people don't have that ability when they are around mentally unstable people - their fear of the unknown outweighs their compassion... the world needs more open hearts like yours...
i also wanted to mention that one of the most important things to maintaining stability for many bipolar patients is ROUTINE... i don't know why exactly... i just know disruptions in regular patterns (perhaps because they add an amount of stress... whether good or bad).. can affect bipolar patients adversely... i might reconsider taking her out and about if i were in your shoes... while i know your intentions are good, consider how many uncontrollable variables you will be exposing her to in your travels... for someone who is already mentally unstable & very fragile in many ways, this could spell disaster for her... i'm not saying that it definitely will, just that it's a possibility...
try to make whatever environment you spend the rest of her time with you guys as safe for her as possible... i don't mean "hide the shiny sharp objects"... although that's a good idea, too.. but make it as unstressful & welcoming/warm and secure as you can... allowing her to find some security and stability in her physical environment has the distinct probability of translating directly into better mental stability...
however you choose to spend the weekend, know that we're all here for you whenever you need to talk
