As I careened off of the icy freeway and through the median a couple of months ago, the following words came into my mind: Turn in to the spin. Don’t fight it. Turn in to the spin. In a “Jesus Take the Wheel” moment my car was totaled, and through divine intervention, my little girl and I walked away without even whiplash.
Accepting the spin—even going towards it instead of away
from it—made no sense at the time. But
looking back, it saved us from rolling and it may have saved other unsuspecting
drivers on that cold winter night.
Lots of times we feel like all of a sudden due to an
unexpected event our lives are spinning out of control—and we want to fight
it. And sometimes that’s the right thing
to do. But sometimes, it’s time to turn
in to the spin and accept the unexpected because that’s how we gain back a
sense of control.
Being diagnosed with bipolar has definitely been one such
event. Fortunately I’m learning some
things that make acceptance easier.
1.
See the opportunity
I love the story about the donkey that fell into an old well. There was no way to rescue the poor animal,
so the farmer and his neighbors began shoveling dirt into the hole in an
attempt to cover the well and put the donkey out of its misery. At first the donkey was mad, and then suddenly
he calmed down and let out some happy brays.
A few shovelfuls later, the farmer looked down into the hole and saw
that with each shovel of dirt that hit the donkey’s back, the animal was
shaking it off and taking a step up. This
continued until the donkey stepped up over the edge of the well and trotted
off.
Look for all of the good that can come from your challenge,
and take advantage of new opportunities.
Who can you meet that you wouldn’t otherwise? What can you do that you normally wouldn’t? What can you focus on that you didn’t before?
2.
Laugh
My husband served an LDS mission in the boonies of Brazil. He told me he started enjoying it a lot more
once he decided to look at his nice Sunday shoes as hiking boots instead.
Look for things that make you laugh. Watch funny YouTube videos and I Love Lucy reruns, read the comics,
scroll through funny Pinterest boards, listen to Brian Regan, start speaking
with a silly accent. I like to google
search “bipolar humor” and find little gems like this:
3.
Make Me Time
We all need “me time.”
Schedule it if you have to. Take
some time regularly to do something you love…new things that you’ve wanted to
try…something that relaxes you. Learning
to have fun again and doing things that enrich and recharge you are powerful ways
to cope.
4.
Reach out
Don’t sweep things under the rug. One of my favorite quotes is from Spencer W.
Kimball. He said, “God does notice us
and he watches over us. But it is
usually through another person that he meets our needs.” Other people can’t meet our needs if they don’t
know what they are. Be open. Being open about my situation has been scary,
but I’ve received so much support from others that I wouldn’t have if I was
quieter about it—and that support gives me the strength to serve others.
5.
Serve
Look for ways to give a little extra in what you do for your
family and for your friends. It just
feels good.
Another story I love is about the old man who saw thousands
of starfish washed ashore on the beach.
He started throwing them back into the ocean, when another man came and
asked him what he was doing and why. He said,
“Don’t you realize there are miles and miles of beach with washed up starfish? You can’t possibly save them all, and even if
you work all day it won’t make a difference.”
The old man listened calmly and then bent down to pick up another
starfish and threw it into the sea.
“I made a difference to that one,” he said.
Cheesy and sappy yes… but true.
