Triggers to Mood Cycling Archives

Taking a Break

Putting on the brakes and taking a brief break from social media. Limiting triggers to ramping hypomania by trying to unplug until next week. I will catch up to comments next week. Have [...]

Kitt O'Malley2015-08-05T14:48:50-07:00August 5th, 2015|Categories: Bipolar Disorder, Hypomania, NAMI, Triggers to Mood Cycling, Volunteering|Tags: overwhelming, taking break, triggers to hypomania|21 Comments

Thursday I Did A Lot

So Thursday I did a lot. Much more than I would usually do. Much more outside our home. Off the couch. In the community. Among colleagues and friends. What did I do, you [...]

Kitt O'Malley2015-07-31T09:00:00-07:00July 31st, 2015|Categories: Bipolar Disorder, Blogging, Disability, Health, Mental Health, Mental Health Advocacy, Mental Illness, Mood Cycling, NAMI, Parenting, Triggers to Mood Cycling, Vocation, Volunteering, Writing|Tags: social isolation|39 Comments

Dissociation, Daydreaming, and Mind Dump

Already I’ve lost my place and forgotten what I was going to write. As I went to save this as a Word document to my hard drive, I saw some organizing I had to [...]

Kitt O'Malley2015-07-29T13:04:13-07:00July 29th, 2015|Categories: Bipolar Disorder, Hypomania, Mental Health, Mental Illness, NAMI, Triggers to Mood Cycling, Volunteering|Tags: daydreaming, dissociation, Jenny Lawson, return to workplace|32 Comments

Today I took a step forward. I went to my psychiatrist. He adjusted my medications, putting me back on a low dose of escitalopram. Monday, we see a psychologist with our son to get some coaching on negotiating our [...]

Kitt O'Malley2015-05-20T13:15:46-07:00May 20th, 2015|Categories: Bipolar Depression, Bipolar Disorder, Bipolar Parenting, Medication, Mental Health, Parenting, Recovery, Triggers to Mood Cycling|Tags: depression, mental health recovery, Orange County, Saddleback Church, Wellness Center|41 Comments

Yesterday was a Bust

Yesterday, I blew it. First of all, I had vertigo in the morning. The night before my son had complained of getting dizzy walking up the stairs and collapsed into bed. Monday morning [...]

Kitt O'Malley2015-05-19T09:51:03-07:00May 19th, 2015|Categories: Bipolar Depression, Bipolar Disorder, Bipolar Parenting, Depression, Mental Illness, Mood Cycling, Triggers to Mood Cycling|Tags: Orange County Community Action Advisory, social isolation|51 Comments

Thoughts Intrude

Thoughts intrude Throw plate in sink Let it shatter loudly I see myself doing it The image, the impulse is there There - in my mind No! I respond Turn left NOW in front [...]

Kitt O'Malley2015-05-03T12:24:16-07:00May 3rd, 2015|Categories: Bipolar Disorder, Hypomania, Intrusive Thoughts, Mental Health, Poetry, Triggers to Mood Cycling|Tags: aging, crone, fertility, hag, menopause, menstrual cramps, mixed state|25 Comments

Fear of Loss

Thursday night I saw my psychologist over the disaster that was Tuesday. First I had her listen to the distraught voice recording I made that night. I told her about my son's recurring gastroenteritis. [...]

Kitt O'Malley2015-04-24T21:12:15-07:00April 24th, 2015|Categories: Chronic Illness, Grief, Migraine, Motherhood, Parenting, Triggers to Mood Cycling, What About God?|Tags: fear, gastroenteritis, GERD, prayer request, reflux|41 Comments

Nurturing Bath #1000Speak

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QhG2gEzKao8 Compassion - Nurturing - 1000VoicesSpeak.org As I desperately reached out in compassion for others this past 10 days, I've neglected myself. I fueled my efforts with hypomanic energy, all the while sick with [...]

Kitt O'Malley2015-04-19T18:06:50-07:00April 19th, 2015|Categories: Compassion, Hypomania, Parenting, Triggers to Mood Cycling|Tags: #1000speak, 1000VoicesSpeak, caretaker burnout, compassion burnout, nurturing, Self care, social media burnout|18 Comments

What Happens? Hypomania Happens

What happens when I over-involve myself in social media? (If you are viewing this post from my lovely website, look to the right - or if on a mobile device, to the bottom [...]

Kitt O'Malley2015-04-19T14:16:54-07:00April 19th, 2015|Categories: Bipolar Disorder, Bipolar Parenting, Depression, Hypomania, NAMI, Poetry, Social Stimulation, Triggers to Mood Cycling|Tags: Facebook, Project Semicolon, social media, spoken word, Tha.Speakeasy|16 Comments

Why I Keep Away from Madness, Dyane Leshin-Harwod #MarchMadness

I love this post written by my dear friend Dyane Leshin-Harwood of Birth of a New Brain: Healing from Postpartum Bipolar Disorder for STIGMAMA.com. She eloquently and powerfully explains how she takes care of herself, how she pays [...]