They say I'm bipolar. They say I'm moody. They say that my moods are unpredictable and irregular. But I say "look at a calendar".
In the past few years, I've sharpened my focus on the calendars and cycles which directly affect my life. 24 years ago, I rejoined the Catholic Church, and I began attending Mass nearly daily. Once a person gets caught up in that liturgical cycle, it can be truly life-changing. Because the liturgical cycle is definitely bipolar or, more precisely, quite moody, and encompasses joy, pain, sorrow, suffering, happiness, peace, exultation, and everything in-between.
At this point, if something unusual happens during the week, I can invariably turn back to the Mass of that day, and figure out exactly why. Of course, I can't predict anything in particular, but I can definitely anticipate how I'll be feeling in a particular season!
Now the days of the week are named a certain way in English, and a different way in Romance languages. We've got significant contact with Spanish-speaking cultures here, so those names definitely matter! They're named after pagan gods, who are simply mythical and fictitious to Christians, yet their patronage is felt profoundly to this day. Day-of-week matters very much, even in the secular world. Ask any working man or student in school, what's the difference between a Sunday afternoon, a Wednesday morning, a Friday evening?
Being able to interpret and anticipate my cycles has helped me make tremendous strides in "managing my symptoms". If I'm going to be wound up as Lent climaxes in Holy Week, perhaps I should dial back my activity and save my energy for Easter. Sometimes I become so agitated, that I know it's a good idea to stay home and not expose the general public to my moods.
I believe that it's rather ridiculous to expect people to have fewer moods, or less powerful emotions, as long as they are handled well. After all, every woman of childbearing age is "bipolar" if you consider her menstrual cycles. Do we blame her or medicate her for that? Hopefully not! It's part of being human, and it's part of being alive.
They say I'm bipolar. They say I'm moody. They say that my moods are unpredictable and irregular. But I say "look at a calendar".
In the past few years, I've sharpened my focus on the calendars and cycles which directly affect my life. 24 years ago, I rejoined the Catholic Church, and I began attending Mass nearly daily. Once a person gets caught up in that liturgical cycle, it can be truly life-changing. Because the liturgical cycle is definitely bipolar or, more precisely, quite moody, and encompasses joy, pain, sorrow, suffering, happiness, peace, exultation, and everything in-between.
At this point, if something unusual happens during the week, I can invariably turn back to the Mass of that day, and figure out exactly why. Of course, I can't predict anything in particular, but I can definitely anticipate how I'll be feeling in a particular season!
Now the days of the week are named a certain way in English, and a different way in Romance languages. We've got significant contact with Spanish-speaking cultures here, so those names definitely matter! They're named after pagan gods, who are simply mythical and fictitious to Christians, yet their patronage is felt profoundly to this day. Day-of-week matters very much, even in the secular world. Ask any working man or student in school, what's the difference between a Sunday afternoon, a Wednesday morning, a Friday evening?
Being able to interpret and anticipate my cycles has helped me make tremendous strides in "managing my symptoms". If I'm going to be wound up as Lent climaxes in Holy Week, perhaps I should dial back my activity and save my energy for Easter. Sometimes I become so agitated, that I know it's a good idea to stay home and not expose the general public to my moods.
I believe that it's rather ridiculous to expect people to have fewer moods, or less powerful emotions, as long as they are handled well. After all, every woman of childbearing age is "bipolar" if you consider her menstrual cycles. Do we blame her or medicate her for that? Hopefully not! It's part of being human, and it's part of being alive.