Judith Moss

Bipolar disorder is a condition that affects millions of people in the United States and around the world. What makes clinical diagnosis of this condition so difficult is that symptoms tend to fall on a continuum. A person can be at any of the four main stages of bipolar disorder: manic, hypomania, depression and mixed and still be suffering from the condition. Western science often has a hard time with these kinds of issues so simply looking at someone and diagnosing them can be tough. To truly know if someone is bipolar, you’ll need to observe their behavior over a period of time. If these sorts of mood issues are present, seek the advice of a medical professional.

“No man is an island entire of itself.” John Donne wrote this in 1624. Simon and Garfunkle sang this three and a half centuries later: “Hiding in my room, safe within my womb, I touch no one and no one touches me. I am a rock, I am an island. And a rock feels no pain; and an island never cries.” What one says explicitly, the other says implicitly. The message is the same: no one can live, and thrive, without intimacy and interpersonal connections. Social needs and connections are essential to the happiness and well-being of any person; in the fast-paced, high-pressure world, intimate connections are more important than ever before – but they are also more difficult to maintain. Why?

Who am I? This is perhaps the most simple of questions and the most complex. You’re you. I’m me. But what does that mean? To what aspect of our lives or personality are we referring? These are the questions that are tackled throughout the process of individuation. Carl Jung believed that when we are able to integrate elements of personality, experiences, and aspects of our psyche, we are able to become our “true” selves. Then, we might perhaps answer “Who am I” with a more clear, self-possessed answer.

Spirituality means something different to everyone. Sometimes, it is associated to a particular region. Other times, it just has to do with a general sense of well-being. The landscape of spirituality may seem very broad, because it is an evolving concept. But the core principle of spirituality is always the same. In actuality, spirituality has far less to do with religious doctrine that people may think. You don’t have to practice a certain religion in order to be spiritual, because true spirituality can be found within. It doesn’t matter what religion you practice on the outside. Spirituality is inherent. The only way to really “practice” spirituality is to look within yourself.

When it comes to healing and wellness, we often have to weed out the negative thoughts that exist in our minds in order to heal holistically. There is an unlimited supple of source energy that flows within and without. If that energy is blocked for any reason, we often get sick and feel depressed. Energy blocks are not physical in nature; they are clouds or walls that are created within out energy fields out of negative thoughts. Some of us don’t even realize that we think negative thoughts. But our unconscious mind has been thinking certain thoughts since the day we were born. We often learn certain habits from our parents, including patterns of negative thinking. These patterns often stick with us for the rest of our lives, buried deep within the unconscious mind. But they are responsible for the very life situations that we create in the present. If you have an unconscious thought that you are “ugly” then you will always see a flawed reflection in the mirror, no matter how many people tell you are beautiful. This unconscious thought will always be reflected back to you in other ways, such as the fact that you may have trouble attracting a partner or relationship.

Whether you know it or not, your spiritual journal begins the moment you are born. Your spirituality develops and grows as you move through the different stages of life. Throughout your lifetime, you interact with other human beings and run into a variety of life situations. These life situations can cause many different kinds of emotions to erupt within you. If you are unaware of these emotions, you don’t recognize them or express them. Instead, you ignore them and stuff them down deep inside. This can be more damaging to your spiritual journey than you may realize.

Throughout recent history, most have come to realize that overall health and wellness isn’t just about the physical body. Yes, people need to eat healthy and exercise in order to take care of their bodies, but they also need to incorporate important steps that help take care of the mind and emotions as well. In order to achieve optimum health, you must take the following three aspects to healing and wholeness into consideration: physical, psychological and spiritual. Without the combination of all three, you cannot heal yourself fully.

When you finally reach adulthood, you can take a deep breath and reflect humorously on your childhood. But your ability to continue to learn and grow doesn’t stop. In fact, it becomes an even more crucial aspect to your personal development. Sure, you may feel older and wiser because of your age. But there is so much more to learn. You never stop learning, whether you are 25 or 85. Refusing to learn and grow personally only causes confusion, suffering and a variety of life problems. Every situation you encounter as an adult is an opportunity for personal development. If it is an unhealthy situation that often repeats itself, then you need to pay attention because there is some lesson that you are refusing to learn. Personal development becomes more challenging in adulthood because the repercussions are far more serious. As a child, you are given a certain amount of space to make mistakes and to learn from them. But people expect more from adults, and if you are repeating the same mistakes that you made as a child, something needs to change. The only difference between childhood and adulthood is age. You may be physically older, but that doesn’t mean you are finished learning. The lesson sitting in front of you could be life changing, but only if you are able to recognize it.