The other day, my mom linked me an article that talked about how you can train yourself not to worry as much with the exception of anxiety disorders which I honestly think she failed to notice. The article was written by a Christian woman (my mom is Christian), and while I respect other peoples' faith and religions, she wrote that the only real solution to getting better is through God alone.

The day before, my mom called me on the phone telling me I need God in my life. I told her politely that I'd appreciate it if she stopped telling me that (she's been doing this for years) and she agreed. So today, when she linked me this article, she told me that it's fine if I ignore the God parts and look only at the science aspects of it.

When I told her that there really wasn't too much science involved, particularly after reading that "the only solution is God", she told me that brain chemistry is affected by how we think. and that we can change it by changing our thoughts. WHAT? So I can just choose to think that I'm not bipolar and suddenly I'm cured? I told her that she was confusing "coping techniques" with "brain chemistry" because you can't alter your brain chemistry by sheer willpower! In fact, nothing can alter that. Medications can help alleviate symptoms, but they don't cure you either.

She went on to say "nothing we're born with is subject to remain the same." Except plenty of things are...especially mental illnesses. At least, you are born being genetically prone to them or you would not develop them to begin with. And again, the article she linked me even said that anxiety disorders aren't something you can change with thoughts. This can apply to any mental illness, which really makes me think she missed the entire point. Sure, you can help yourself by learning healthy coping techniques, but you can't eradicate what you have genetically inherited!

She's been having a hard time accepting my recent bipolar diagnosis. I think she wants to believe that I can will it away. I'm also 95% sure she believes I developed it because I "strayed from the path of God" (I was raised in a very religious household and stopped being a Christian a few years ago) so now I suffer from mental illnesses as punishment. This kind of thinking is exactly why there is such a bad stigma surrounding mental illness. Cause surely it's got to be our faults! We're not thinking correctly! And of course she won't do any research about bipolar to get a better understanding of what I'm going through. It just really frustrates me. Thought I'd share.

TLDR: My mom thinks you can change your brain chemistry by simply changing how you think.