K, I know that I said this was a "psychology" blog, but I have decided (since I have too many other applications/blogspots, and I would like to simplify things), that I am going to end up using this blog to discuss and post things about physical issues and solutions as well as mental and emotional. And besides, what does it hurt? You've heard that the 3 sides of the triangle tie into each other in so many ways that you can't really separate them too much besides defining the regions in categories. (I am specifically referring to the scientific community's "Genetics X Environment (GxE)" movement as opposed to the fast-flying-out-the-door G+E.) By the way there is a book (that I really like) I read pieces from once that goes over that movement and its concepts quite well, but for the life of me can't remember the name of it. I will mention it in the next blog though (once I've found the book again). It's a fantastic read.
Anyhows, I found this really cool article of fun interest on http://www.prevention.com/health/. I am going to put it in here, as well as my (fun & silly), but very well-working code word set that helps me remember all the tips. It is a dental health article:
http://www.prevention.com/loveyoursmile
1. Carbs at Mealtimes
2. XDrink, Sip or Chew, Brush
3. Increase C
4. Tea
5. Sip through Straw
6. Boost Calcium 1K mg
7. Toothbrush&Fluoride@Pool
8. AppleADay (actually any crunchy Hmunchy)
9. Kiss! (or sugarfree gum w/xylitol)
10. ThreeWholeGrain Servings Daily
Wednesday, July 27, 2011
Monday, July 4, 2011
Think Positive
Most Important things:
Think Positive
Let Everything You Let In Today Be Healthy
Choose words that are creative, or building, of you, your surroundings, and other living creatures
If you aren't able to think positive about a certain person, group, idea, or thing,
I won't ask you to "avoid" it,
but DO ask you to do your best,
to fill your mind with things that ARE positive
so that there is "only" more room for things that are positive
Refer back to the second Important thing,
Let Everything You Let In Today be Healthy
Sometimes avoidance can actually cause more stress on a person,
so basically don't think of it today as avoiding -
just think about only positive things today -
without necessarily "avoiding"
Rather lets make it Replacing
Sometimes also, if you know you are a thinker (constant-can't-stop-it kind of thinker),
you will notice that trying to replace that thought that is influencing toward unhealthiness
may only lead you to another thought you may have thought positive,
until memory pops up that connects this new positive thought with the old unhealthy one
So go straight to the pure source,
rather than thinking of the positive thing,
expose yourself to it.
Smell that jar of mint, eat that raspberry, take that hike to YOUR favorite place,
and if it helps, imagine nature's ability to cleanse things and apply that -
thinking that nature "cleans the slate"
inbetween each person that has been there in the past, and you.
Then you will better be able
to have the nature and you be one.
Think Positive
Let Everything You Let In Today Be Healthy
Choose words that are creative, or building, of you, your surroundings, and other living creatures
If you aren't able to think positive about a certain person, group, idea, or thing,
I won't ask you to "avoid" it,
but DO ask you to do your best,
to fill your mind with things that ARE positive
so that there is "only" more room for things that are positive
Refer back to the second Important thing,
Let Everything You Let In Today be Healthy
Sometimes avoidance can actually cause more stress on a person,
so basically don't think of it today as avoiding -
just think about only positive things today -
without necessarily "avoiding"
Rather lets make it Replacing
Sometimes also, if you know you are a thinker (constant-can't-stop-it kind of thinker),
you will notice that trying to replace that thought that is influencing toward unhealthiness
may only lead you to another thought you may have thought positive,
until memory pops up that connects this new positive thought with the old unhealthy one
So go straight to the pure source,
rather than thinking of the positive thing,
expose yourself to it.
Smell that jar of mint, eat that raspberry, take that hike to YOUR favorite place,
and if it helps, imagine nature's ability to cleanse things and apply that -
thinking that nature "cleans the slate"
inbetween each person that has been there in the past, and you.
Then you will better be able
to have the nature and you be one.
Wednesday, June 8, 2011
Again
- Not sure if I'm actually heading into another manic phase again, but I am getting a lot of that "floaty" feeling. Just checking up and checking in. Today is June 8, 2011.
Monday, May 9, 2011
Bipolar Manic and Depressive Swings: My Journal #1
So, I am opening up very considerably dangerous options for others by doing this, although I've already done so by releasing the possibly (and likely) biasing information, that I am bipolar.
I usually caution my closest friends and acquaintances, to be mindful when either using labels on others or labeling themselves with something. Labels can be powerful and useful when used with discretion and much aforethought, but can be wrecking in so many ways when used lightly, (and sometimes even when you haven't done so lightly).
So in a sort of way, right now I am hanging my own reputational wrecking ball and leaving a switch with which to control it, wide open to the world. (Yes, I just used a made up word of mine, "reputational". Might I have used "societal"? Oh well.)
Here is what this post is all about: I will be using this as a journal to keep track of when manic periods start and end, (basically how long they go, each one of them). And I will also be posting the events that happened around said bipolar swing.
April 8, 2011 (about) - Just recovering from a D&C surgery after a 3 month, very nauseating molar pregnancy. Started a manic phase.
May 9, 2011 - Have been working vigorously on research for a book I am writing. Started writing the book in the last month. Met a second character in the book in the last month. Was vigorously working on teaching myself the Italian language (during the last month). In the last month started two blogs and created a facebook page for an Italian study group/organization I started. In the last month joined twitter.
Went to Salt Lake City, Utah, yesterday and spent the entire time there with a friend while husband was in an 8 hour meeting for his job. It was a lovely day and saw many wonders. (Visited the Salt Lake Library next to the large, cathedral-like county building.) Did a lot of walking all over while the sun was very hot. By the end of day I realized my UTI infection had returned and was more painful than ever - the pain reaching up into the sides of my back. Went to instacare clinic and was prescribed more antibiotics. While waiting at the Walgreens pharmacy, had a conscious seizure, (was aware of things happening around me, but my body and eyes could not stop seizing and I couldn't speak until my eyes and body stopped). They called paramedics and I checked out to be fine upon inspection. Went home and went to bed with husband shortly afterwards.
Today depression and certain anxieties started in on my mind. It was hard to recognize that I had started into a depression at first, but did come to a realization (after a certain disagreement took place with husband) that I was starting one. (Note: I did recognize this one's beginning much sooner than I have of other depressive phases in the past.) It did not actually really settle into my mind completely though, that I was not in a manic phase anymore until I was at the library trying to read some materials on brain chemistry - and my brain was feeling rather sluggish and was not working for me as quickly as it has been for the last month. In the last month of mania, I could read anything very quickly and it wouldn't hurt or exhaust my brain. In fact my thoughts raced so fast I was also able to comprehend anything extremely quick and accomplish things just as quickly as my thoughts raced, and as quickly as I talked. It was not satisfying to read and have just one constellation hit me, or even a few light-bulbs flash very quickly across my consciousness. I was addicted to this feeling of soaring through constellations and consuming all of this knowledge very quickly. I couldn't stop myself and would read tons of different materials in a matter of only hours, and it felt so wonderful to comprehend everything so easily and quick. The feeling of being so successful and feeling so alive and aware and bright kept going, and so I took advantage of it and read more and more and more. And I did more and more and more. And if the opportunity presented itself for me to share this knowledge with another who might seem interested, I would talk almost non-stop to this person at full-speed, and it was hard to break away because talking about the thoughts and sharing the knowledge was so exciting to me; and not only that, but when I shared it even more constellations rushed into my mind and filled it at the speed of light (seemingly, anyhow).
But I also know that this depression, perhaps, could last for only a day or so. This is considering that during this last month of mania I have had 3 - 5 single, separate days where I went into a depression, and then returned into the mania and euphoria the very next day. Thought it might be interesting to note here, just for accurate record keeping, that my diagnosis was "Bipolar Type 1: Mixed, Moderate". That was the last time I checked, anyways (almost a year ago).
Bipolar people are very passionate people. You can see it in their faces. It is so weird comparing pictures of myself that were taken during one of my depressive phases as opposed to one of my manic phases. Its almost frightening the look of passion in a picture of my face while I was in a mania, but its also very invigorating and almost refreshing to see people with that much passion. Frightening to see it in myself, but exhilarating.
I usually caution my closest friends and acquaintances, to be mindful when either using labels on others or labeling themselves with something. Labels can be powerful and useful when used with discretion and much aforethought, but can be wrecking in so many ways when used lightly, (and sometimes even when you haven't done so lightly).
So in a sort of way, right now I am hanging my own reputational wrecking ball and leaving a switch with which to control it, wide open to the world. (Yes, I just used a made up word of mine, "reputational". Might I have used "societal"? Oh well.)
Here is what this post is all about: I will be using this as a journal to keep track of when manic periods start and end, (basically how long they go, each one of them). And I will also be posting the events that happened around said bipolar swing.
April 8, 2011 (about) - Just recovering from a D&C surgery after a 3 month, very nauseating molar pregnancy. Started a manic phase.
May 9, 2011 - Have been working vigorously on research for a book I am writing. Started writing the book in the last month. Met a second character in the book in the last month. Was vigorously working on teaching myself the Italian language (during the last month). In the last month started two blogs and created a facebook page for an Italian study group/organization I started. In the last month joined twitter.
Went to Salt Lake City, Utah, yesterday and spent the entire time there with a friend while husband was in an 8 hour meeting for his job. It was a lovely day and saw many wonders. (Visited the Salt Lake Library next to the large, cathedral-like county building.) Did a lot of walking all over while the sun was very hot. By the end of day I realized my UTI infection had returned and was more painful than ever - the pain reaching up into the sides of my back. Went to instacare clinic and was prescribed more antibiotics. While waiting at the Walgreens pharmacy, had a conscious seizure, (was aware of things happening around me, but my body and eyes could not stop seizing and I couldn't speak until my eyes and body stopped). They called paramedics and I checked out to be fine upon inspection. Went home and went to bed with husband shortly afterwards.
Today depression and certain anxieties started in on my mind. It was hard to recognize that I had started into a depression at first, but did come to a realization (after a certain disagreement took place with husband) that I was starting one. (Note: I did recognize this one's beginning much sooner than I have of other depressive phases in the past.) It did not actually really settle into my mind completely though, that I was not in a manic phase anymore until I was at the library trying to read some materials on brain chemistry - and my brain was feeling rather sluggish and was not working for me as quickly as it has been for the last month. In the last month of mania, I could read anything very quickly and it wouldn't hurt or exhaust my brain. In fact my thoughts raced so fast I was also able to comprehend anything extremely quick and accomplish things just as quickly as my thoughts raced, and as quickly as I talked. It was not satisfying to read and have just one constellation hit me, or even a few light-bulbs flash very quickly across my consciousness. I was addicted to this feeling of soaring through constellations and consuming all of this knowledge very quickly. I couldn't stop myself and would read tons of different materials in a matter of only hours, and it felt so wonderful to comprehend everything so easily and quick. The feeling of being so successful and feeling so alive and aware and bright kept going, and so I took advantage of it and read more and more and more. And I did more and more and more. And if the opportunity presented itself for me to share this knowledge with another who might seem interested, I would talk almost non-stop to this person at full-speed, and it was hard to break away because talking about the thoughts and sharing the knowledge was so exciting to me; and not only that, but when I shared it even more constellations rushed into my mind and filled it at the speed of light (seemingly, anyhow).
But I also know that this depression, perhaps, could last for only a day or so. This is considering that during this last month of mania I have had 3 - 5 single, separate days where I went into a depression, and then returned into the mania and euphoria the very next day. Thought it might be interesting to note here, just for accurate record keeping, that my diagnosis was "Bipolar Type 1: Mixed, Moderate". That was the last time I checked, anyways (almost a year ago).
Bipolar people are very passionate people. You can see it in their faces. It is so weird comparing pictures of myself that were taken during one of my depressive phases as opposed to one of my manic phases. Its almost frightening the look of passion in a picture of my face while I was in a mania, but its also very invigorating and almost refreshing to see people with that much passion. Frightening to see it in myself, but exhilarating.
Wednesday, April 27, 2011
Operant Conditioning Square
Learning: Principles of Operant Conditioning
This is the square representing Positive Reinforcement (R+), Negative Reinforcement (R-),
Positive Punishment (P+), and Negative Punishment (P-).
To understand what this square and operant conditioning mean, you will probably have to throw away your regular idea of what "positive" and "negative" are. In this context, positive means putting something into place, whether that something is pleasant or unpleasant. Negative means taking something away, whether it is something pleasant or unpleasant.
This is the square representing Positive Reinforcement (R+), Negative Reinforcement (R-),
Positive Punishment (P+), and Negative Punishment (P-).
To understand what this square and operant conditioning mean, you will probably have to throw away your regular idea of what "positive" and "negative" are. In this context, positive means putting something into place, whether that something is pleasant or unpleasant. Negative means taking something away, whether it is something pleasant or unpleasant.
R+ example: John scores well on an exam in school, so his parents:
( Bring him to lunch / Buy him new game console / Insert good thing here), to reward him for good behavior. He will remember that something good is given to him after this particular behavior, so he will be more likely to repeat this behavior in the future.
R- example: John scores well on an exam in school, so his parents:
( Take away his chores for a day / Insert something to be taken away here), to reward him for good behavior.
He will remember that something unpleasant was taken away after this behavior, and will therefore be more likely to repeat this behavior in the future.
P+ example: Suzie is late to work several times, so her manager:
( Gives her a write-up / Insert appropriate unpleasantry here ), to discourage her from being late again.
P- example: Suzie is late to work several times, so her manager:
( Takes away her privilege of reading books at work / Insert appropriate loss of privilege here ), to discourage her from being late again.
To sum it up, reinforcement is to encourage the continuation of behavior, and punishment is to discourage a behavior from occurring again.
Till next time!
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