Bipolar Burble Newsletter | December 2020

Bipolar Burble Newsletter | December 2020 | Hope in Times of Crisis

Published: Thu, 12/10/20

Natasha Tracy's Bipolar Burble Newsletter

December 2020 Edition

Welcome to my Bipolar Burble Newsletter. It's where I have a chance to talk to you, my readers, and offer information that can help those with mental illness and their loved ones. Thanks for reading.

In this edition you'll find:

A FREE webinar on hope in times of crisis
New Bipolar Burble and Breaking Bipolar articles you may have missed
Holiday articles that can help you get through this time of year
On-demand masterclasses -- Ten online, mental health masterclasses are now available on-demand
An Instagram image and quote
A Lost Marbles review
An December quote

Hope in Times of Crisis -- FREE Webinar

Join me on December 12th for a discussion on hope in times of crisis. This webinar is part of the Winning Women Series, a platform for women and girls to support one another and create change in society at all levels: as individuals, community members, students, professionals and entrepreneurs.

About This Event

With the COVID-19 pandemic, isolation, and the economic recession, many people's mental health has been affected. It is important to discuss the lessons learned during this year and how we can support and take care of our own mental health and the ones surrounding us.

It is important to discuss how we can break new barriers to mental health accessibility, prioritize our wellbeing, build resilience, and cultivate empathy and kindness during tough moments.

Learn more about this event and register for FREE here.

New and Now

Here are a some things you might have missed from Bipolar Burble and Breaking Bipolar:

The Weight of a Chronic Illness Diagnosis -- I'm familiar with the diagnosis of bipolar disorder -- I've had it for more than two decades. However, a new chronic illness diagnosis caught me off guard (video included).
You Create Your Own Reality? I Don't Think So -- I have heard this line since I was a kind and it floats around Instagram and elsewhere frequently. But how true is it?
Learning How to Set Boundaries During COVID-19 -- It so critical to set and maintain boundaries, especially now when your very life could be on the line. Read on to learn how to set these important boundaries.
Getting Others to Respect Your Health Boundaries -- When you make a health or mental health boundary, how do you get people to respect it? Read this for tips.

The Archives

I know we're all planning for the holidays right now, whatever that looks like. Here is a selection of posts about holidays that may help you on your way. I hope you find a little joy this season.

Holidays Without Family -- Mental Health and Not Spending the Holidays with Family -- Some of us choose not to be with family for the holidays for a variety of reasons. Others of us are stuck without family because of the pandemic. Either way, learn more about not spending the holidays with family.
A Bipolar Holiday Guide for Stability Over the Holidays -- What do I want for Christmas? How about mood stability! If you're looking for mood stability in this difficult time, read this for tips.
Mental Health-Improving Gifts -- Looking for a gift that can enhance a person's mental health? Check here.
What to Get the Bipolar in Your Life for Christmas -- This is another gift guide. Of course, a person with bipolar disorder could want anything, but one option is to give a gift that supports a person with bipolar in their wellness journey.
Handling an Unhappy Holiday Season -- I know this season is likely to be an unhappy one for many of us. This is not only due to the pandemic, but also often due to life circumstances for many. Read more on how to handle this.
Enjoying the Holidays with Bipolar -- Top Tips -- Do you want to still enjoy the holidays in spite of bipolar disorder? Read these tips for how.
How to Help a Depressed Friend or Family Member Over the Holidays -- Knowing what to do when a friend or family member is depressed is tricky. Try these suggestions for how to help.
Finding Hope When Bipolar Feels Hopeless Over the Holidays -- I know that when you're sick over the holidays, things can feel hopeless -- certainly they have for me sometimes. But read this piece on finding hope anyway.

Natasha Tracy's Online Mental Health Masterclasses

10 Masterclasses Are Now Available On-Demand

As you may know, I've been running masterclasses over the last few months. I'm pleased to say that you can get on-demand access to any of these masterclasses.

Here are the masterclasses available. Click on the title for details about the masterclass. Email me for access to any masterclass.

Get Real 1: What You Need to Understand About a Bipolar Disorder Diagnosis — Everything you need to understand about what a bipolar diagnosis really means.
Get Real 2: What Rapid Cycling in Bipolar Disorder Is Really Like — What rapid cycling bipolar disorder is and what to do about it.
Get Real 3: What Depression in Bipolar Disorder Is Really Like and How to Handle It — Everything you need to know about depression in bipolar disorder from experience and the latest research.
Get Real 4: How People with Bipolar Disorder Think — Cognitive Distortions — If you’re curious why a person with bipolar disorder acts differently than you average person, this will give you some insight and ways of handling it.
Get Real 5: What You Need to Know About Preventing Suicide — If statistics around suicide and mental illness scare you, this is the webinar for you. Learn all about suicide, prevention and what to do if an attempt occurs.
Get Real 6: Anxiety in Bipolar Disorder — And What? Why? How to Fight It — Anxiety is so common in people with bipolar disorder. If you experience anxiety with bipolar or if you have a loved one who does, this is the webinar for you.
Get Real 7: Learn How to Accept a Mental Illness Diagnosis — It’s not easy being diagnosed with a mental illness. We often feel denial, anger, sadness and more. Learn how to fully accept a mental illness diagnosis and find peace in this webinar.
Get Real 8: Anger, Aggression and Rage in Bipolar Disorder — Not everyone experiences anger and rage as a part of bipolar disorder, but some do. Learn more about anger, aggression and rage as a part of bipolar disorder and how to handle it.
Get Real 9: How to Have Difficult Mental Health Conversations — All of us are going to have to have a difficult conversation about mental illness, suicide, psychosis or another mental health topic at some time in our lives. Let’s learn about how to have these conversations successfully.
Get Real 10: How to Treat Treatment-Resistant Depression in Bipolar — It is an unfortunate reality that many with bipolar disorder struggle with depression even with treatment. Learn about how to treat treatment-resistant depression according to the latest research.

The price to access a masterclass is $45.00 for one or $40/masterclass if you buy more than one. For access to any masterclass, just click the button below to email me.

If you prefer to see a live masterclass, there will be more scheduled next year.

Email for Masterclass Access

Insta-Instagram

December 8, 2020

"Christmas tree time! Truth be told, there are still a few tweaks to go onto the tree, but I wanted to share anyway.

I do love sitting by "tree-light." I try to do a month of it at Christmastime because of how much I love it and then I miss it when all the fancy isn't there.

Smiles where you can find them 🙂 And I've found one in a red-baubled Christmas tree. Christmas trees -- good for your (my) mental health."

I create (and comment on) a lot of interesting work on Instagram, in addition to Facebook, Twitter and YouTube. I'm posting interesting quotes, images and quirky things from my life. I hope you'll join me there.

'Lost Marbles' Reviews

I'm pleased to say I now have 261 reviews/ratings between GoodReads and Amazon US. Thank you to everyone who has taken the time to write their thoughts. My book is rated about 4.5 stars out of 5!

Here is an amazing five-star review by suzitaylor on Amazon UK:

"Natashas moving account of life with mental health Issues is so well written I could hug her. It’s very ‘to the point’ and covers so many of the feelings I have, I finally feel validated. Her explanations surrounding medication were so easy to understand. Thank you Natasha."

Buy Lost Marbles

If you've had a chance to read Lost Marbles, I would love it if you would leave a review on Amazon or Goodreads. Thanks, I appreciate it.

December's Final Words

That's it for now folks; I'll catch up with you again in the new year when I'll be sending out a few post holiday-related posts..

Please remember to socially distance, wear a mask and take other precautions to lessen the spread of COVID-19. This third wave is killing between 2000-3000 Americans every day. By taking the CDC-recommended precautions, you are saving lives.

And as an uplifter, here's a great December quote I found on the part of the holidays I enjoy so much:

“Colored lights blink on and off, racing across the green boughs. Their reflections dance across exquisite glass globes and splinter into shards against tinsel thread and garlands of metallic filaments that disappear underneath the other ornaments and finery.

Shadows follow, joyful, laughing sprites.

The tree is rich with potential wonder.

All it needs is a glance from you to come alive.”

-- Vera Nazarian, The Perpetual Calendar of Inspiration

Happy holidays all. Enjoy some glee, wherever you can find it.

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