Hello, fellow travelers!

Coming to you from Riverworld, high in the Colorado Rockies. It's been so hot here the last few days. Hope there is a peaceful breeze blowing for you tonight, wherever you may be.

I'm a little late because I crashed for eight hours in my big chair tonight. Sometimes that just happens spnotaneously and I love it when it does.

I'm here to take the pledge, of course, but also to add some things that I've found are really helping.

I haven't had a manic or depressive episode or a panic attack in over six weeks now. I seem to have developed some sort of spidey sense that tells me when they are coming. I simply refuse to let them in anymore.
I will have a brief internal discussion, then go back to whatever it was I was doing and it simply pushes them back where they belong-and that's not inside of my head.

I'm also making a couple of physical changes that seem to be helping. I'm not giving advice here-merely relaying what is working for me.

The big one for me is hydration. If you take physch meds, it makes it even worse because they dry your system out like crazy. I drink so much water, juice, milk, iced tea and coffee every day. I alwys keep something to drink next to me and always take a bottle of water with me when I am going out. I drink between 80 to 100 oz's of fluids everyday. It helps tremendously. It helps keep my mind sharp and keep my wits about me.

Another one is kicking sugar. That one is hard for me, but I'm trying. It usually takes me about three weeks to kick it completely. It's the first thing I used to turn too when the depression started to hit. But once it is totally out of your system, it's much easier to do without, and again, it helps with both the mania and depression.

I don't watch the news-ever-or read the newspapers. I have absorbed enough news about the evil man is capable of, and I don't want anymore of it on my radar.

I pledge, to myself and God and my fellow travelers, that I will not allow suicide anywhere near me or my back pocket for the next twentyfour hours.

Love and Peace-Tea