Bipolar check-in #63

This mofo made it one year without using drugs or alcohol!

Today was another pleasant temperature day, but not as warm as yesterday. Yesterday was too warm for late March. I did some gardening work de-winterizing some potted plants/flowers and trimming off dead stuff. Despite was seems like drought conditions where I am, everything is still alive. I did manually water some things to ensure they keep growing well. This year we won't plant as many flowers. Many things are perennials so it won't be necessary. I'll just plant some basil, parsley, and maybe mint and put some pansies or petunias in a few pots. Hubby was sleeping on the Hollywood swing the whole time I did gardening work.

We're counting down until our trip to the US. Just three weeks. Then only less than a week after our return we'll likely head to France. That date isn't written in stone. Apparently in July/August a close friend of my husband will be spending time in Europe. His long-time girlfriend with whom he lived in New York City left him many months back. He packed up a few bags and had since been living on the island of St. Croix. As he works from home, he plans to simply do the same in various European cities, including perhaps ours in Czech Republic. It would be nice to have him around for a month or so. We offered that he stay with us, but since he will work he says it's best to rent his own digs.

Hey Bethrags do you have blackout curtains? I’m more likely to get hypo on these sunny days but I realize for some it’s the opposite. Aside from med changes can you do some other techniques?

First do you have a self care box? So for me when I’m up and buying everything I put a portion of the new fun things into a box to save for when I’m down. When I am down I open the box and force myself to play with whatever is inside….it could be a nice scented soap, bath salts, a book, in my case it’s a dinosaur art book, a permission slip to buy ten new songs…whatever. If you don’t have a self care box make one next time you’re up.

The other technique is called pick three. Instead of one thing you find fun you need to pick three and do them all at once. It’s probably hard to think of something fun right now so you need to think back to things you used to find fun. For me it might be photography, music and a trip to a zoo or garden.

Finally try sunglasses at night. 4-6 hours before bed put on a pair of sunglasses so you get normal light for a while….make sure they block blue light.