Notice when I am catastrophizing or my thoughts are all or nothing

When you are in the deepest discomfort--let's say you're feeling extremely lonely--take a deep breath in for every single person who feels loneliness. The police took me to a psychiatric hospital where I was involuntarily committed against my will. It took four days to heal up, but once I was back on my meds and had regained my balance, I told the doctor I had to get back to work and he signed my discharge papers. The nurses and staff were very good to me, smiling and telling me to take it easy and things would improve. I'm not sure what would have happened if I had not ended up in the hospital. It is a really useful to have a friend who understands you are bipolar and will help you out if you get into trouble. During an extremely bad episode, I was involuntarily committed into a psychiatric hospital. After several days of taking medication and coming to my senses, I called my friend Joe and told him where I was and that I needed to get out of there and back to work. Joe drove to the hospital, talked to my doctor, and vouched for me. He told the doctor I was a sales manager and had a good job. The doctor discharged me and I will be eternally grateful to Joe because he had my back and helped me out in my time of need. Old-time hard-sell sales forces were taught never to take no for an answer. This was thought to be a highly admirable approach. There are problems with it:* Pursuing a nay-saying customer is exhausting and demoralizing for the sales staff. No need not be a permanent state. Failure to make this particular sale is not a good reason to see to it that you lose this customer, who represents the possibility of future sales. The key is to recognize the difference between resistance, hesitation, and uncertainty on the one hand and no on the other. It's really very simple. If the prospect declares that he is not interested or that he is not in the market for your product, you may ask, Is there anything I can do that will change your mind? If the answer is still no, thank the prospect for his time and stake a claim for the future: Mr.

Johnson, needs change over time, so I hope that you will think of us if you ever find that you do need to purchase a widget. And then when you breathe out, breathe out relief for everyone feeling this feeling. This simple exercise not only lets us move toward a feeling instead of running away from it, it's also a way to energetically tap into healing for all. And a reminder that you are not the only one in discomfort. That is so often the most isolating feeling--thinking that we are the only ones who feel a feeling. That no one else understands our pain or they must be feeling better than we are. Creative practice is also how we can fill the void in a new way. Creative practice heals us. Making things is what we can reach for. Making things is how we process being alive. Journaling and quiet time as a way to process There's very little reason to go to a psychiatric hospital other than being suicidal or psychotic and wanting not to end up dead or injured. You do not receive therapy that's better than what you can get outside, and you'll almost certainly be heavily medicated. In fact, in many places you do not get individual therapy at all. If you want help, find a good therapist. It's a very incorrect idea that institutionalization is more intensive and will help you more. In fact, it will probably help you less. Being in your own home, in your own environment that you can control, facing the real problems of everyday life, you will be much more comfortable than staying in a place where you have no privacy, where nurses and staff treat you in a very condescending manner. The benefits of being in the hospital for me include: You are in a controlled environment in the event of physical violence or attempted suicide. It gives you a chance to regroup and get stabilized.

It removes you from stress of relationships--spouse, significant other, or kids. PUTTING YOURSELF ACROSS . TO CURRENT CLIENTS AND CUSTOMERS Self-Test Your Savvy in Communicating with Customers The following is a simple diagnostic test. A smaller and more selective version of the self-test in article 1, its purpose is not to test your knowledge of communication theory or techniques, but to help you gauge how effectively you communicate with current clients in a day-to-day business context. For the most part, you will find it easy to guess the right answer. But getting the right answer is not the point of the test. Respond honestly, even if you feel that your response is not the best one possible. This is not a contest. The object is solely self-inventory. A grief support group Making a zine about your grief and discomfort Making a zine about your joy Embrace intimate storytelling in your chosen medium: painting, drawing, singing, dancing Channel it into your creative practice Writing a letter Deep breathing Prayer and meditation AND THEN the GUILT so many of us feel when we encounter the joy or relief that can come from working through discomfort.

Giving permission: we must continue to remember that feeling joy is our divine right and purpose--it is why we are here. It is a forgivable excuse for missing work and may keep you from getting fired. The staff and doctors generally treat you well and take your craziness in stride. The food is usually decent. Finally, it's amazing how fast you can regain balance by taking medication. Don't Leave the Hospital Too Soon If you find yourself in a psychiatric hospital, give yourself time to begin the recovery process and get back on your feet again. Depending on how bad of shape you are in, it may be worthwhile to stay in the hospital a couple of days longer to regain balance, rather than trying to get out as soon as possible. Once you get back out in the real world there is a long road ahead to full recovery. When you get home from the hospital, some of the same things that were stressing you out and were instrumental in triggering your episode may still be present. These stressors could be a spouse, roommate, your children, bills, a sick relative or other factors. Words to Use with Customers Phrases to Use with Customers Words to Avoid with Customers Phrases to Avoid with Customers Body Language Strategy for Communicating with Customers The body language strategy for dealing with current customers is the same as that for dealing with new customers and prospects, except that you might try to approach current customers as you would acquaintances and friends. The approach may be informal, friendly. Make the customer feel that he has established a relationship with you. Body Language to Avoid to with Customers

See the discussion of this subject in article 9. The amount of suffering in the world is beyond what we can even see. Building awareness as fuel for empathy: Reading the news, being aware of what is happening in your neighborhood, community, and world is so important. Ignoring it does not protect us from our own joy. It can simply help us see what is happening to other humans. Even when it is uncomfortable. And then let that push us into doing more and more joyful work--so that we can access empathy and collective grief, and create work that inspires. There is this fear: What if I was really my best self? Would I still be respected? So much of my self-acceptance came from struggling. A friend once said to me, It feels like a betrayal to the struggle to leave the struggle. Additional Recovery Tips Do what the doctor and nurses tell you to do. Take the medications. Eat the food they provide. Sleep when you can. Make friends with another patient. Attend group therapy. If possible, go outside and get fresh air and sunshine. When it is offered, take a shower.