[Revu2]

Some comments:

1. How I choose to name something has influence on what I consider I might do.
2. I was not at the meeting that coined the term Bipolar Disorder.
3. I am able to meet with myself.
4. I can call it like I see it.

Thus, with these premises, I remake terms to tip me towards health.

Bipolar disorder.

Bipolar - two poles - extremes. Almost feel a need to race from one to the other to keep up with the idea.

Disorder - a mess.

If I say "I'm bipolar" it is like saying I have two poles, and I dash from one to the other. If I leave the poles, where am I? (Yes, DSM-V, I'm asking you).

So I thought: there's a unity before the duality (classic Taoist idea). And since both poles are two of thousands of experiences in my one life, I want a term that connotes movement with unity.

A Mobius strip is a loop of ribbon with a half twist. This create a single side and a single edge. Mobius can replace "bipolar."

What about "disorder." Disorder connotes a place or state, like a room in disorder. Something that has stopped or stands still. I experience my moods as quite active and fluid, moving from one feeling to another as I go through my daily actions. I'm enough a mess without invoking spirits of Messiness.

I considered lots of terms: Mobiusity, Mobius Zone or Mobius Area. I want to ride this single edge of experience in the middle of my living. What if I'm more active than passive in this processing of emotions. That's a type of Mode of behavior.

Voila—Mobius Mode !

I like it!

[AnxietyGirl916]

Wow...very insightful. Thanks for sharing! I like it.

[Anika.]

I like the mobius connection you made. I have always been in awe of the mobius design, simple enough but then again not at all.

[Revu2]

Thanks for the encouragement. Any reframes of your own? Please share.

[Revu2]

To remain in MM requires that I adjust my activities to adjust my moods. Just as I wouldn't want to drive without brakes, and stuck brakes means the car can't move, so being able to "drive" through my emotions intentionally is my Holy Grail.

In Lean Manufacturing pioneered by Toyota, there's a concept of Hiejunka or Production Leveling. Say a company gets orders for 3 sizes of tractors, large, medium, and small. They get 5 orders this week for the large, 15, or the mediums, and 10 for the smalls.

In a 5 day workweek, they would then make 1 large, 3 mediums, and 2 smalls daily. This could be evened out with swift machine turnovers as something like: M S L M S M. The work flow would be even and by the end of the week all of the orders would be shipped.

It occurred to me to apply this to moods. I can level my moods by shifting for something that excites me to something that calms, to something that's neutral, etc. As I have a general feeling for what I need or want to do, I can plan to alternate among these activities to keep myself within the liveable zone, to live in Mobius Mode.

If there is interest I can say more on this idea.

[Revu2]

This came across the Moodscope blog:
Moodscope: Cherokee wisdom.

A Cherokee legend found by Adrian:

One evening, an old Cherokee told his grandson about a battle that goes on inside people.

He said, "My son, there is a battle between two wolves inside us all. One is evil, it is anger, envy, jealousy, sorrow, regret, greed, arrogance, self-pity, guilt, resentment, inferiority, lies, false pride, superiority and ego.

The other is good. It is joy, peace, love, hope, serenity, humility, kindness, benevolence, empathy, generosity, truth, compassion and faith."

His grandson thought about it for a minute and then he asked his grandfather, "Which wolf wins ?"

The old Cherokee simply replies, "The one you feed."

===================

Rewrite the core Wolves to:

One is bipolar, it is moodswings, sometimes wildly creative and excited, other times dejected, depressed, sad, and a layabout.

The other is Mobius Mode. It is even tempered, steady, calm when needed, energized when needed. It is filled with a steady joy, and lives through the successes and frustrations of living in stride.

His grandson thought about it for a minute and then he asked his grandfather, "Which wolf wins?"

"The one you feed."
R.