Getting rid of the baggage.

I believe that many time in life we go through more than we truly have too.  You know, the Bible tells us that God will put no more on us than we can bare. We ask then, why does everything seems so hard? That answer is because we have a tendency to hold within ourselves things we didn't even know was there. I know this because I am one of those people. I believe also that God puts people in our lives to help us to learn to cope with things that is wrong.

Cope - to handle something successful: to deal successfully with a difficult problem or situation.

Friends, men, especially have a tendency to think we can overcome things on our own, because most of us growing up was told grown men do cry and we have to be strong. Friends, take it from someone who is there and going through the same as you. Living in the past, (the baggage) will eventually catch up with you. Unless you or someone you know are aware of the signs, it will be  every hard to detect what is happening.
Many of the things we try thinking that we will get over it, doesn't work. We think that being able to talk to a love one or spouse about our problems will do the trick and fix us but there is more to it than that. We are talking about many many years of carrying past baggage. Getting help or treatment is no different than an Alcoholic seeking helping through AA, or a smoker having help to quit smoking. To many  times why we hold onto the past is because we go into what is called preservation mode.

Preservation - Is to protect from harm, danger; to protect.

Many people who have psychological problems are unaware because things happen to us in our youth or growing to where we build up a wall, saying, "I will never let this happen again".

Psychological  - Human mind: relating to the mind or mental processes affecting humans:  affecting or intended to affect the mind and mental processes.

 When I was young there had been a lot of bad things in my life and I say (had been) because it is in the past, now I have a future. People who live in the past have no future. As I was saying there had been things that took place so that one day I told myself, "NO ONE will ever hurt me again". I had built up such a wall I could not break it down on my own. Past baggage hurts everyone around you. I myself believe that 85% of divorces take place because of hurt from things we have no control over or we can't fix ourselves (past baggage).

As much as I hate to bring up these two subjects, they are two examples of why getting help will help you to cope and overcome the baggage of your past.

      1. Is battered wife/husband syndrome, yes it can go both ways
      2. abuse, (mentally,verbally, or physically), even child molesting/rape which could had happened only once or continue on into their teen and adult years. These are just two of the many things people try to cope with on their own. These are things that causes broken marriages and homes. When things begin to arise in our relationships with others we do have a tendency to get angry or upset to the point that there is no point of repair.
I believe that those things we have heard or experienced in our past stays within us until we can get help. And we bring them into our relationships. Being abusive isn't a way of life, we must face it!  Being abusive is a (SICKNESS). We said earlier in this blog that God puts on us no more than we can bare. Many will ask, if He, (God), doesn't, why doesn't or why won't he heal me. To be honest I have no answer to why He won't. The Apostle Paul had a thorn in his side, (not a literal thorn) it could have been a sickness, disease. We really don't know because there isn't much mentioned about it except that He asked God to remove it three times and God said NO, My grace is sufficient. Meaning I guess it is there to keep you (Paul) humble.
Many people suffer from depression and being Bi-polar. Many don't even know that they carry that around everyday. We feel down in the dumps all the times, don't care about things, especially those we love. When we suffer everyone suffers.
Some say that depression can be hereditary.

In which hereditary means - of or relating to,or denoting factor that can be transmitted from one generation to the next.

What cause depression and anxiety -

• Depression may be described as feeling sad, blue, unhappy, miserable, or down in the dumps. Most of us feel this way at one time or another for short periods. True clinical depression is a mood disorder in which feelings of sadness, loss, anger, or frustration interfere with everyday life for weeks or longer.

There are a number of factors that may increase the chance of depression, including the following:

• Abuse. Past physical, sexual, or emotional abuse can cause depression later in life.
• Certain medications. For example, some drugs used to treat high blood pressure, such as beta-blockers or reserpine, can increase your risk of depression.
• Conflict. Depression may result from personal conflicts or disputes with family members or friends.
• Death or a loss. Sadness or grief from the death or loss of a loved one, though natural, can also increase the risk of depression.
• Genetics. A family history of depression may increase the risk. It's thought that depression is passed genetically from one generation to the next. The exact way this happens, though, is not known.
• Major events. Even good events such as starting a new job, graduating, or getting married can lead to depression. So can moving, losing a job or income, getting divorced, or retiring.
• Other personal problems. Problems such as social isolation due to other mental illnesses or being cast out of a family or social group can lead to depression.
• Serious illnesses. Sometimes depression co-exists with a major illness or is a reaction to the illness.
• Substance abuse. Nearly 30% of people with substance abuse problems also have major or clinical depression.

How Is Biology Related to Depression?

Researchers have noted differences in the brains of people who are depressed as compared to people who are not. For instance, the hippocampus, a small part of the brain that is vital to the storage of memories, appears to be smaller in people with a history of depression than in those who've never been depressed. A smaller hippocampus has fewer serotonin receptors. Serotonin is a calming brain chemical known as a neurotransmitter that allows communication between nerves in the brain and the body. It's also thought that the neurotransmitter norepinephrine may be involved in depression.

Scientists do not know why the hippocampus is smaller in those with depression. Some researchers have found that the stress hormone cortisol is produced in excess in depressed people. These investigators believe that cortisol has a toxic or poisonous effect on the hippocampus. Some experts theorize that depressed people are simply born with a smaller hippocampus and are therefore inclined to suffer from depression.

One thing is certain -- depression is a complex illness with many contributing factors. The latest scans and studies of brain chemistry that show the effects of antidepressants help broaden our understanding of the biochemical processes involved in depression. As scientists gain a better understanding of the cause(s) of depression, health professionals will be able to make better "tailored" diagnoses and, in turn, prescribe more effective treatment plans.

What causes being bi-polar or uni-polar - The cause of bipolar disorder is not entirely known. Genetic, neurochemical and environmental factors probably interact at many levels to play a role in the onset and progression of bipolar disorder. The current thinking is that this is a predominantly biological disorder that occurs in a specific part of the brain and is due to a malfunction of the neurotransmitters (chemical messengers in the brain). As a biological disorder, it may lie dormant and be activated spontaneously or it may be triggered by stressors in life.

Although, no one is quite sure about the exact causes of bipolar disorder, researchers have found these important clues:

Genetic factors in Bipolar Disorder

• Bipolar disorder tends to be familial, meaning that it “runs in families.” About half the people with bipolar disorder have a family member with a mood disorder, such as depression.
• A person who has one parent with bipolar disorder has a 15 to 25 percent chance of having the condition.
• A person who has a non-identical twin with the illness has a 25 percent chance of illness, the same risk as if both parents have bipolar disorder.
• A person who has an identical twin (having exactly the same genetic material) with bipolar disorder has an even greater risk of developing the illness about an eightfold greater risk than a nonidentical twin.
• Studies of adopted twins (where a child whose biological parent had the illness is raised in an adoptive family untouched by the illness) has helped researchers learn more about the genetic causes vs. environmental and life events causes.

Neurochemical Factors in Bipolar Disorder

Bipolar disorder is primarily a biological disorder that occurs in a specific area of the brain and is due to the dysfunction of certain neurotransmitters, or chemical messengers, in the brain. These chemicals may involve neurotransmitters like norepinephrine,serotonin and probably many others. As a biological disorder, it may lie dormant and be activated on its own or it may be triggered by external factors such as psychological stress and social circumstances.

Environmental Factors in Bipolar Disorder

• A life event may trigger a mood episode in a person with a genetic disposition for bipolar disorder.
• Even without clear genetic factors, altered health habits, alcohol or drug abuse, or hormonal problems can trigger an episode.
• Among those at risk for the illness, bipolar disorder is appearing at increasingly early ages. This apparent increase in earlier occurrences may be due to under diagnosis of the disorder in the past. This change in the age of onset may be a result of social and environmental factors that are not yet understood.
• Although substance abuse is not considered a cause of bipolar disorder, it can worsen the illness by interfering with recovery. Use of alcohol or tranquilizers may induce a more  severe depressive phase.

Now the answer is: there are ways of getting fixed and leaving behind the unwanted emotional baggage we have carried around for years. 

First you must have or receive a diagnosis . 

Then with the help of the right medications, (different people usually are described different medications). What helps one may not be helpful to another but given a chance there is a right combination that will help with you depression/bi-polar disorders. 

And lastly finding the right counselor or therapist that you can feel comfortable with. Some men can relate to women better than men or vice versa.

Don't be ashamed or afraid to ask for help, the only shame is NOT seeking help.  If you don't care enough about yourself to seek help, do it for those you love and don't want to hurt.

 

Yes there are ways to reverse the baggage.
In airports there are baggage claim areas to pick up your luggage? Get off the plane forget the luggage and leave it there. It won't be easy but it can be done.

I hope this will help someone.








 

I ain't quite there yet ( but I will be ) pray for those in need !

Morning all. I would like to take this time to thank all who have prayed for me, and continue to, even when I have ask them not to. I know to those who do pray it sounds selfish. but sorry that just the way I feel. no not selfish, just pray for those who are in need. God is taking care of me as we speak. I sit here at times and wonder what are they praying and asking God to do to me and I can almost answer that question , I'm pretty sure I know what 2 of them are doing. This morning I would like to try and blog about. I ain't quite there yet! ( but I will be )
As some of you that have ever read any of my blogs knows that I suffer from - uni polar another form of being Bi-polar, anxiety, depression, social anxiety disorder and a few other thing I wont mention in this blog because they are different subjects. I myself believe that all of us who suffer from any of these disorders are in as bad of shape, and I believe that they rate right up there as being as bad a  heart attack, strokes, heart disease, high blood pressure and so on and on. Anyone who has never suffered from depression or the others mentioned above has never woke up in the morning too it. As the Lady in the one commercal that say its like I have to wind myself up in the morning, just to get going. Well Folks for all you who have never suffered it before you rag someone who does or put down someone who does. Just watch that person.

Uni-polar,Bi-polar depression, anxiety is not an act. Those who suffer from it has to most days live behind a mask. Making everyone think that everything is going smooth and their in control, When really deep down in side all we really want to do is find a rock most days and hide and never want to come out.
All these different diseases affect people differently, some suffer through mild depression to severe depression. I believe it is easier to treat mild depression than it is severe for the reasons that, those who suffer severe depression hang on to it much longer than those who suffer mildly. I have suffered from all theses  for many years and really never knew what I was going through until I was diagnoses as to having them. I know what some of you are thinking waa waa poor pitiful him. Hey laugh at me that's fine but there are millions of people who suffer the same thing. And there are millions how die every years by not knowing what is going on inside them. Its called suicide. Yes suicide 
In most cases Different Doctors or phsyco Doctor tend to agree and disagree with weather Bi-polar and depression is Hereditary. well humm out of the 10 articles I have read on the subjest, 7 said it is and 3 said it was'nt. Friends finding the right medication's to treat the problems is a guessing game. I have been on several different medications and some help for a while and some either didn't work for me at all or made it even worse. Out of the 3 doctors who said that it wasn't hereditary. said that if those who suffered from the disease's would live a stress free life, eat a complete healthy diet, an get a good nights sleep, 8 to10 hours a night. then. that in some way would take care of most, (Get it most of the problem's. )

I would like to insert a couple of articles into this blog from some other folks who suffer.Even so, when a parent who is bipolar sees the disease manifest itself in a child, statistics don’t seem to matter anymore. It just feels as if the disease is simply hereditary.
Stacey Galka, 38, of Denver, is a single mom who was diagnosed with bipolar disorder when she was 26. At that point, her daughter was already 5 years old. Stacey says her own diagnosis was a relief because it helped her to make sense of why her life had always been so chaotic, but when her daughter was diagnosed with bipolar disorder at age 13, Stacey had trouble accepting it. “In all honesty, if I had known then what I know now, I would have never had a kid,” she says. “It was difficult enough for me to go through what I did."
Is bipolar disorder hereditary? Yes, bipolar disorder runs in families; it is the most genetic major psychiatric condition. It is more genetic than schizophrenia and major depression. If you have a parent or sibling with bipolar disorder, then there is a 10-15% likelihood that you will develop it. If you have a second-degree relative like a grandparent or aunt, then the likelihood is half that amount (5-10%).Bipolar disorder is vastly underdiagnosed. On average, it takes 20 years or until a person is almost 40 years of age, before bipolar disorder is diagnosed. Dr. Ghaemi explains that Bipolar disorder is overlooked for many reasons. Most people have a classic picture of a euphoric person as being manic. However two-thirds of manic episodes are not elated, but an irritable or depressed mood. To complicate matters, half of all people with bipolar disorder have lack of insight, so they do not even realize they are ill.
How does depression present in bipolar patients? Bipolar depression can look different in some ways from unipolar (major) depression. Symptoms that are more common in bipolar patients than in unipolar depression include:
Brief depressions. In bipolar depression, the average length is three to six months, but in unipolar depression it is six to twelve months. Some depressions are only 2 to 3 weeks in length. The shorter the depression, the more likely it is to be bipolar.
Atypical depression. You may sleep more and eat more as opposed to typical depressions where patients sleep less and eat less.
Psychotic depression. You have delusions or paranoid delusions. Or, you hear voices or see things. Psychotic depression is more common in bipolar disorder.
Post partum depression. Compared to unipolar depression, post partum depression is more common in bipolar disorder.
Recurrent depression. The more episodes of depression you have, the more likely you are to be bipolar rather than unipolar. More than 95% of bipolar patients have recurrent episodes, versus unipolar patients, of which only two-thirds have recurrent episodes.
Antidepressant effects. If you've had multiple trials of antidepressants and they don't work, you could have bipolar disorder. If you experience mania or hypomania while on an antidepressant, you usually have bipolar disorder. If you get better on an antidepressant, but then relapse into recurrent depressions, you may have bipolar disorder So see the definitions and diagnoses of the deseases vary from one to another. Friends I ain't quite there yet ( but I will be ) .
Friends as we all do who suffer from these deseases, we have our good days and bad days. And by saying some of the things in this blog, I hope to not offend any. But spend your time praying for those who are in real need. and that most important need is finding Jesus Christ as their Lord and Saviour. And making it not into the Kingdom of heaven as they think their headed. But pray that they make it into The Kingdom of GOD that will be set up upon this earth at GODS appointed time. That is the real need to be praying for. Not selfishly for me.
I would like to thank Stacy in Denver and also Dr Ghaemi for posting their articles for all to read. Thank you two very much.
Til next time Shaloam and pray for the Peace of Jerusalem
jesseb

One step from over the edge,

They've always said, "that which doesn't kill you, only makes one stronger". Well sometimes I wonder about that. How far is to far, and how far is one step from over the edge? Every day it seems to be a different question with different answers. That's something I have to ask myself everyday, only, sad thing is I can not answer that problem. And some morning I just want to end it all, (Life). I've always thought of myself as a strong person not having to rely on anyone. I think that I was a dependable hard worker at times. I gave all I had, I hope, then there was the day that reality set in. One would ask theirself, what did I do? Is there something I should have done different, But I guess not, or I wouldn't be One step from over the edge.

When does it start, where does it, end the grave? Only One knows that and it isn't me. The doctors and specialists know better that me. Is it really depression, or is it burn out, stress? I would at times hope it was the latter. What do you get when you put depression, stress, and burnout in the same sentence? You get one step closer to over the edge. I would hope it would be from burn out since I have been working from the age of 7 or 8. Doing as my Grandpa had said they pay you, you give back. That's something I have always lived by and appreciate from my pops. What is stress, what is depression, what is burnout? To me its One step from over the edge.

• They say stress is "a state of mental and emotional strain or suspense", hmmm.

• They say burnout is "to melt break,or become otherwise unusable".

• And they say depression is "a state of depression and anhedonia so severe as to require clinical intervention".

Well according to this it means there's hope but really no hope. As I see it, I have been treated with several anti-depressants ain't nothing worked as of yet. I go to see PSYCHOLOGIST, later this month only to be givEN more anti-depressants, (yipeeeeeee), really looking forward to that. Then they probably send me to a Psychoanalyst, who'll want to get inside my head. Damn, I already have enough in my head without all of that. It's sad when you go from a people person, to a person who cant be around people without being drove to the edge with fear, anxiety, giddiness, scared feelings and just having to leave. And again what does one call this?
One step from over edge.

Now when one is forced to do things they don't feel like doing things get worse. Having to go five and a half hours one away for what you see as a useless matter, especially, when you're told your mother is on the verge of death. Then they have all these questions, about this and that and you have to tell them that you can't say one way or the other, because you're not even able to manage your own affairs. When being around kinfolk that you no longer consider family.
What's sad is when you go outta respect instead of love. It's like they're there but they're not and having to live from behind a mask like you are. People who don't believe in the disease dont understand that it is a crippling disease that millions have to deal with daily. Some will say that there's a cure, well if there's a damn cure why do millions of people a day still go through the symptoms. I am not saying there is not help but I do think that there's a place where it has gone past the point of help. If there was a full cure, there wouldn't be mental hospitals all around the world where folks have gone over the edge.
One step from over the egde. I want everyone to know you'll read online person after person, who have testimonials about how they got help and they're living a normal life. Well I am tickled to death for them, and yes some do get help but not without a price and time.

What really makes being one step from over the edge is when you have grandkids and four of them live close by and you can't hardly stand being around them for the noise, crying, screaming, running around the house, etc. I love all my grandkids so much. I also love my job I have but can't do anymore. Today I got a response from my Supervisor and he said he really missed me and another guy who is volunteering in Iraq, because he could depend on us to get the job done and not have to worry. I wanted to write back and say I was sorry I couldn't be there, but can't because that's part of the problem, I suffer from burnout, or what ever you want to call it, One step from over the edge.

Friend if you are, or have been having such problem, I know your pain, get help now because the longer you wait, the longer it will take to get control of the disease and yes they are diseases, dont let anyone lie to you about it, I know. I waited for over 30 something years and it caught me and hit hard, some of the meds worked for a very short time and some wouldn't work at all, some meds have badddd side effects and can hurt you worse, some make you sick, and some make you mean and angry all the time. Friends if any of you feel that you have become worthless, useless, not caring about anything, start getting help now, because if you don't get help, You'll be one step from over the edge.

I can't say been there done that this time, because I've been there, and still there.
So if anyone besides me and my wife suffer this crippling disease, we'll be here for you if we can, so until next time

this is jesseb's anything goes

Shalom and Peace to Israel