[fern46]

I know I've shared that my strategy for bipolar wellness is balance and self care for my spiritual, mental, emotional and physical states, but what does that really even mean? I ran across this article the other day. I feel it offers a helpful introduction for anyone interested.

The Four Bodies | Goop

My theory for my own breakdown is that repressed core emotional trauma surfaced at a time when I was quite mentally stressed and spiritually and physically imbalanced. Another member mentioned this yesterday as her experience and I resonate with it. It was the perfect storm.

I feel like relapse is possible at any point, but a balanced lifestyle and integration of my trauma is my best defense for avoiding such a tragic event in the future. I never saw it coming. It shattered myself image and my confidence for a long time. I'm still picking up the pieces. At first I was just trying to hold on and glue them all back together, but I admit they fell apart for a reason. I decided instead to metaphorically melt them all down and reshape everything into something that is more structurally sound. Luckily I have a background in system design

A core concept of Holism is that it incorporates the idea that the whole is greater than the sum of its parts and that the parts, unified, constitute a new and unique whole. My 4 bodies unified constitute a new and unique whole, but I am also the designer of my life. The role of the designer is a perspective that stands within the whole and also outside of the whole and thus working to design a better life is Holistic in nature.

I accept that I have the capacity to experience extreme emotional states. I accept that I have the capacity to completely lose my grip on reality. It is my intent though to walk with greater consciousness, see and/or feel it coming, and to make choices to bring myself back to balance before that occurs. Meanwhile, I'm designing a better life for myself that has little to do with my bipolar diagnosis and everything to do with my ideal image for my future.

[sarahsweets]

I am all for a holistic outlook and have zero problems with people treating themselves in this manner.I do take issue with Gwyneth Paltrow and her ridiculous site GOOP.
Here are a few things I read about goop.

Paltrow loves to talk about vaginas. Apparently, for her, the origin of life is also a place to stuff cash you’re never gonna see again, in the form of special oils, eggs made of rock, and... steam. It must be said: owning a vagina does not make you an expert on one.

Paltrow is really into the concept of using oil as lubrication in whatever way you want to lubricate. She says conventional lubricants contain — wait for it — toxins. Goop even sells a “Sex Oil” at $28 for a 4-oz. bottle. Its description:

“We here at goop are unabashed proponents of good, clean, sexy sex. Oil-based personal lubricant is super-luxurious, with aromatherapy benefits, natural moisturizers, and a subtle scent. Made entirely of certified-organic ingredients — fractionated coconut oil, sunflower seed oil, evening primrose oil, and GMO-free vitamin E — and without fragrance, petrochemicals, and other toxic ingredients you find in conventional lubricant, you can use this lightweight oil on your body too. It’s great for all skin types, including sensitive.”
First, just a lifestyle note of my own: If sex is any good, shouldn’t it be messy, not clean? And second, the description of Sex Oil makes me wonder… Is a product with which you could conceivably fry things magically safer than an FDA-regulated lubricant?

I asked Dr. Jen Gunter, a board certified OB/GYN for Kaiser Permanente in San Francisco and frequent commentator on Paltrow’s suggestions for vaginal health, what she thought about Goop Sex Oil. She said that it offered “no advantage” to simply buying coconut oil at the store. She also advises against using vitamin E as part of a vaginal lube for reasons ranging from the unknown of how it affects the fairly complex ecosystem of your vagina to the chance that it could cause further damage to cells infected with HPV. Vitamins are not cure-alls, they are necessary for certain life functions. But using them improperly can cause just as many problems as not using them at all.

The really chafing thing about Paltrow’s Sex Oil is that it’s needlessly, and flagrantly, expensive. If you want to use coconut oil as lube, a jar costs $8 — although as Gunter warns, it is not a good idea to use oil with a latex condom, as oil-based lubricants break down latex in as little as a minute and we give you more credit than that. Some doctors don’t recommend using oil-based lubricants at all. If you use condoms, stick to FDA-tested, water-based lubes like KY.

The unbearable wrongness of Gwyneth Paltrow | The Outline

Gwyneth Paltrow's health and wellness site Goop was called out by Truth in Advertising for selling modern day snake oil. Doctors, scientist and even NASA have called Goop out for selling things like crystals, stickers and vaginal jade eggs as cures for ailments like infertility or anxiety. Goop says they're putting out "unfiltered Q&As" so women can hear directly from experts and decide for themselves if the product is right for them. What do you think? 🐍

DatavizReal-time VotingIs Goop a huge scam?
#GoopIsBS
#LiveBetterWithGoop
#GoopIsBS
Truth in Advertising (TINA) filed a complain with California district attorneys, urging them to investigate Goop's marketing of its products. TINA points out that Goop is falsely claiming its products can treat or cure certain ailments. Under the law, you can't make health claims without proof. But Goop continues to claim walking barefoot can cure insomnia, stickers can promote healing and using crystals can cure infertility. There's no scientific evidence for any of these things.

Presenting this as just information and leaving it up to the readers to decide for themselves is not a defense. Goop is trying to sell these products to people as a health and wellness product. They're telling people that it can help improve their lives and make them feel better. That's a problem when they're pushing crystals as a potential cure for infertility. It's all ********.

TINA.org Takes Gwyneth Paltrow's Goop-y Health Claims to Regulators
TINA.org probe into Goop's marketing reveals a plethora of illegal health claims.

Truth In Advertising

#LiveBetterWithGoop
Goop argues it's not telling people what to think. All it's doing is presenting information to its audience so they can decide for themselves. Women are intelligent. They don't need to be told what to think or how to be healthy. What Goop is doing is removing the middleman in order to give women information and autonomy over their health. They can take what they want and leave the rest.

As women, we chafe at the idea that we are not intelligent enough to read something and take what serves us, and leave what does not. We simply want information; we want autonomy over our health. That’s why we do unfiltered Q&As, so you can hear directly from doctors; we see no reason to interpret or influence what they’re saying, to tell you what to think.
Asking questions is the job of all of us; it is also the job of the doctors and scientists who collectively move our health forward. There is much that we do not know. It is unfortunate that there are some who seem to believe that they already know it all, who pre-judge information before they’ve even taken the time to read or understand it, who believe that there is actually nothing left to learn, who believe that they, singularly, own the truth. That is troubling, and that is dangerous.

Goop's pseudoscience ministry comes to Netflix - STAT
And now unfortunately Netflix has given her a platform. I plan on watching for a good laugh.

[fern46]

Originally Posted by sarahsweets

I am all for a holistic outlook and have zero problems with people treating themselves in this manner.I do take issue with Gwyneth Paltrow and her ridiculous site GOOP.
Here are a few things I read about goop.

The unbearable wrongness of Gwyneth Paltrow | The Outline
Goop's pseudoscience ministry comes to Netflix - STAT
And now unfortunately Netflix has given her a platform. I plan on watching for a good laugh.

Ha! I love this I have a history of being a huge non fan of hers. I have been quite judgmental of her in the past. Our belief systems clash to put it mildly. I ran across this article and I thought nope nope nope, not for me. I then told myself, it is just information. I'm projecting onto her and I can judge for myself and I read it. Projection and judgment are two areas I need major work on, so reading it anyway was sort of an olive branch for my personal growth journey.

I'm not promoting her. I simply enjoyed the way they described the four bodies and states of balanace and imbalance within each. This article isn't by any means perfect or 'the truth' either. Everybody has to discover that in their own way. I'm choosing to look at the message and not the messenger, but I respect you sticking to your ideals.

[bpcyclist]

Ha!! Yet another complete non-Paltrow person here. I began not liking her when I read a couple of different, independent sources (and friends) state that she had been quite verbally and emotionally abusive to her husband, Chris Martin of Coldplay fame. That made me angry.

Anyhow, as to the article, I like the idea of the 4 bodies and of this balance to be strived for. It reminded me quite a bit of what the Buddhists talk about, everything in balance. Never too much of any one thing. A good goal for me.

[fern46]

Originally Posted by bpcyclist

Ha!! Yet another complete non-Paltrow person here. I began not liking her when I read a couple of different, independent sources (and friends) state that she had been quite verbally and emotionally abusive to her husband, Chris Martin of Coldplay fame. That made me angry.

Anyhow, as to the article, I like the idea of the 4 bodies and of this balance to be strived for. It reminded me quite a bit of what the Buddhists talk about, everything in balance. Never too much of any one thing. A good goal for me.

Yes, it is a theme within Bhuddist teachings. It is a Christian theme as well although the metaphors are perhaps a bit more obscure. Judaism covers it. Several other religious schools use these concepts.

Jung touches upon it. Other psychologists have as well.

It is also a theme within the metaphysical and esoteric teachings. Alchemy honors these teachings. They also apply these save divisions and wholeness on a macro scale to the universe and other systems.

Additionally, many common metaphors and turns of phrase speak to this sort of integrated multi aspect whole 'body' we live within.

Things that ring true for me usually need to pass that sort of a test. If wildly opposed domains leverage the information within their structure similarly it usually catches my eye.

ETA: Agreed. Abuse is sad and I dislike knowing anyone suffers in that way as I have experienced it myself.

Thanks for sharing the article and bringing up this topic, fern. I'll get it out of the way and say that I'm also not a big fan of what Gwenyth Paltrow is doing with this "Goop", but I did look at the article with an open mind, trying to block her out. In the end, though the article was not written exactly how I wish it was written, it did contain substance. It made sense on most all levels.

I aim for physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual balance. I know having a good balance of all DOES make for a healthier and happier me. Many suggestions were reasonable ones, though they don't all rock my boat, and that's OK. I'm sure you agree. I used the words "aim for" and not "strive for" because "strive" implies "struggle" in my mind. "Strive" also makes me feel like not achieving a "high grade", in such a pursuit, would be a form of failure. I don't like that pressure. I have put that pressure on myself and suffered the consequences. Yes, I know in the article it specifically references such pressure as "over-balanced toward Yada Yada", but I wish it was more specific in saying that doing one's best, as you can, is OK. But of course I don't mean becoming resigned to a certain unhealthy mental, emotional, physical, and spiritual state.

Sometimes in my life, the stars do seem to become aligned. Those are lovely days, indeed! But most of the time, there is some imbalance. I try to remind myself what's going right (or not so bad) and take fuel from that to avoid falling apart, or fuel another area. And that's OK. When all areas of my life seem in a deep pit of imbalance, I know I must reach out for as many helpful hands as possible, or take a figurative short nap. But NOT a permanent one!

I know that I must make hard choices sometimes, to help improve balance. That can mean, in my book, giving up something, at least temporarily, that I'd usually be unwilling to give up. Or, doing something else to compensate.

Another thing I've learned is to NOT compare myself to others. We have our own challenges, and many here do have bigger challenges than, let's say perhaps, Gwenyth Paltrow or the author of the article you referenced. However, if one insists on grading themselves on degree of overall balance, some should be given "bonus points" as a starting point. We all know that accomplishment that comes easy is not nearly as admirable as accomplishment that comes hard. My total "system" may never work as efficiently as a more technologically advanced one, but it can start to work closer to its own personal best. Upgrades over time can help. Indeed, a total team can make that happen easier than one person/thing alone. [Boy, I learned that the hard way!] More brain power. Less strain on one person/thing alone. If something/someone is dragging the effort behind, it needs to be replaced, better trained, transferred to an area where its value is higher, or even let go. I know that's where analysis and subsequent implementation of systems efficiency/improvement comes in.

[fern46]

Originally Posted by BirdDancer

Thanks for sharing the article and bringing up this topic, fern. I'll get it out of the way and say that I'm also not a big fan of what Gwenyth Paltrow is doing with this "Goop", but I did look at the article with an open mind, trying to block her out. In the end, though the article was not written exactly how I wish it was written, it did contain substance. It made sense on most all levels.

I aim for physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual balance. I know having a good balance of all DOES make for a healthier and happier me. Many suggestions were reasonable ones, though they don't all rock everyone's boat, and I think that's OK. I'm sure you agree. I used the words "aim for" and not "strive for" because "strive" implies "struggle" in my mind. "Strive" also makes me feel like not achieving a "high grade", in such a pursuit, would be a form of failure. I don't like that pressure. I have put that pressure on myself and suffered the consequences. Yes, I know in the article it specifically references such pressure on oneself as "over-balanced toward Yada Yada", but I wish it was more specific in saying that doing one's best, as you can, is OK. But of course I don't mean becoming resigned to a certain unhealthy mental, emotional, physical, and spiritual state.

Sometimes in my life, the stars do seem to become aligned. Those are lovely days, indeed! But most of the time, there is some imbalance. I try to remind myself what's going right (or not so bad) and take fuel from that to avoid falling apart, or fuel another area. And that's OK. When all areas of my life seem in a deep pit of imbalance, I know I must reach out for as many helpful hands as possible, or take a figurative short nap, but NOT a permanent one!

I know that I must make hard choices sometimes, to help improve balance. That can mean, in my book, giving up something, at least temporarily, that I'd usually be unwilling to give up. Or, doing something else to compensate.

Another thing I've learned is to NOT compare myself to others. We have our own challenges, and many here do have bigger challenges than, let's say perhaps, Gwenyth Paltrow or the author of the article you referenced. However, if one insists on grading themselves on degree of overall balance, some should be given "bonus points" as a starting point. We all know that accomplishment that comes easy is not nearly as admirable as accomplishment that comes hard. My total "system" may never work as efficiently as a more technologically advanced one, but it can start to work closer to its own personal best. Upgrades over time can help. Indeed, a total team can make that happen easier than one person/thing alone. More brain power. Less strain on one person/thing alone. If something/someone is dragging the effort behind, it needs to be replaced or better trained.

Great points as usual BirdDancer. I agree with so much of what you have stated wholeheartedly. I especially like the idea of aiming vs. striving. I like to hold a vision in mind with a general direction without it being so rigid that I lose sight of the essence of what I was aiming for. Very sage advice.

For me, there is and always will be imbalance. Perfection or true balance is not the goal for me at least. It probably wouldn't be very much fun either It is more about sensing where things feel right and where they feel wrong and the interplay between the two. Sometimes imbalance is the exact force we need for change to occur. It isn't a negative thing, but being wildly out of balance to a degree it causes a complete meltdown is hopefully avoidable in the future. Maybe not, but its what I'm aiming for anyhow.

I kind view it like I'm a pendulum swinging around in a circular... Or maybe more of a spiraling motion. I'd like for the curves to be nice and aesthetically pleasing, but the truth is there are sharp edges and major swings back and forth sometimes. I can see the beauty in that motion too.

You are smart not to compare and to instead focus on your own personal system. An upgrade for one can be a virus to another. A virus for one can be the doorway for an amazing system overhaul for someone else. Relativity is a concept I have learned to lean on a lot over the past few years. The force that returns one person to balance can be the very force that implodes someone else's world completely. Finding our own truths and learning to design our own systems takes this truth into account. Using other people's system successes and flaws can serve as lights along a sometimes dark path, but everyone is their own sun.

Originally Posted by fern46

I kind view it like I'm a pendulum swinging around in a circular... Or maybe more of a spiraling motion. I'd like for the curves to be nice and aesthetically pleasing, but the truth is there are sharp edges and major swings back and forth sometimes. I can see the beauty in that motion too.

What a lovely and healthy way of looking at this!

An upgrade for one can be a virus to another. A virus for one can be the doorway for an amazing system overhaul for someone else. Relativity is a concept I have learned to lean on a lot over the past few years. The force that returns one person to balance can be the very force that implodes someone else's world completely. Finding our own truths and learning to design our own systems takes this truth into account. Using other people's system successes and flaws can serve as lights along a sometimes dark path, but everyone is their own sun.

Thank you for expanding on this point with such excellent examples, fern.

To describe my bipolar journey these last several years, I used to use an analogy of slipping down the side of a mountain, again and again, as I struggled to hoist myself or scratch and claw towards the top. I had to learn a degree of acceptance of this struggle, but also how to find pleasure and strength in my current spot(s). And yet, I prevented myself from losing hope of seeing and experiencing the world from a higher (or at least different) vantage point. So, very very slowly, as I can, I inch my way upward, or take steps forward along lateral paths. As I traverse and ascend, the world takes on a new and interesting view. Sometimes I take a break in a spot, and rest and meditate, but eventually move on. If I fall again, I try to choose a new route or one I wish to revisit in some way, but hopefully only for good purposes.

If or when I'll ever reach the top of such a mountain, I don’t know. Is it even necessary in the end? My journey will not be for naught. All I know is that staying at the bottom forever is not an option for me. I will not be chained forever down there, nor will I dig a hole even further down to climb into.

[Fuzzybear]

Originally Posted by fern46

Ha! I love this I have a history of being a huge non fan of hers. I have been quite judgmental of her in the past. Our belief systems clash to put it mildly. I ran across this article and I thought nope nope nope, not for me. I then told myself, it is just information. I'm projecting onto her and I can judge for myself and I read it. Projection and judgment are two areas I need major work on, so reading it anyway was sort of an olive branch for my personal growth journey.

I'm not promoting her. I simply enjoyed the way they described the four bodies and states of balanace and imbalance within each. This article isn't by any means perfect or 'the truth' either. Everybody has to discover that in their own way. I'm choosing to look at the message and not the messenger, but I respect you sticking to your ideals.

Thanks for this thread fern. I haven't come across this person before I don't think.

I have certainly encountered individuals whose belief systems clash with mine.. to put it mildly.

I also try to look at the message and not necessarily the messenger, in this sort of context.

[bpcyclist]

I am reminded by all the beautiful wisdom above that, at least here in the United States, competition between and amongst humans is essentially the basis for a huge segment of our culture and all of our economy. Won't say a word more, because I am triggering myself just thinking about how I feel about this--sorry if I triggered anyone else's trauma in this realm, but thought that perhaps this should be at least mentioned here. Our nation is not in balance.

By far the best educational experience of my stupidly, unnecessarily lengthy educational experience all happened between 6th and 12th grade, where I was in a small school that did not believe in grades. I never got a grade until I got to college. We got lengthy comments, instead. That personal journey, growth-oriented approach to life is much more my speed than what most of America seems to be today.

[fern46]

Originally Posted by bpcyclist

I am reminded by all the beautiful wisdom above that, at least here in the United States, competition between and amongst humans is essentially the basis for a huge segment of our culture and all of our economy. Won't say a word more, because I am triggering myself just thinking about how I feel about this--sorry if I triggered anyone else's trauma in this realm, but thought that perhaps this should be at least mentioned here. Our nation is not in balance.

By far the best educational experience of my stupidly, unnecessarily lengthy educational experience all happened between 6th and 12th grade, where I was in a small school that did not believe in grades. I never got a grade until I got to college. We got lengthy comments, instead. That personal journey, growth-oriented approach to life is much more my speed than what most of America seems to be today.

I hear you.

I came up through an educational system that forced me to work exclusively in teams. I aim to take knowledge of holism and blend it with my expertise in teams in an effort to create something more harmonious on a macro scale.