Why Soul Search?

Hmmmmmm…

Soul Search is the first name that came to mind as I thought about starting this blog. Why? Let me explain. I know that all of us are on a journey in this crazy thing called LIfE. We’re all at different levels of this journey no matter our age, and while some choose to take it leisurely, others take long strides, especially at different, motivating points in their lives. Where am I ? Formerly I’ve always been the leisurely cruiser throughout life. For the past two years, I’ve begun to take long strides, even sprints, on my journey of self discovery, or as I call it–Soul Search.

Where did it all begin? Well, let me start by calling the kettle black and just putting it all out there. As we all do, I face a unique set of personal problems. This kettle (me) has been diagnosed with Bipolar Disorder at the age of 23, just 6 years ago, to date. (Yes, I’m almost 30!!, and yes, I feel old…but that’s a whole different story for another blog post.) 😜  At that time, I was placed on many psychotropic medications (lots and lots of hard, soul numbing medicines). It wasn’t until I saw a documentary on the drawbacks and benefits of treating Bipolar naturopathically that I decided to make some changes. (The documentary is on Netflix and it is called ‘Of Two Minds.’ It’s a great watch if you’re into that sorta thing.)

Let me explain how my Soul Search began… After  all the inspiration I drew from that documentary and talking it over with a close friend, I decided to talk to my therapist about making a life change in that direction. It didn’t happen over night but changing my mindset was the first step. That put me on the path of many, many greater things to come. You’ll see, keep reading…

The first baby steps were essentially to establish myself with a new Naturopathic Doctor while working with my Psychiatrist and Therapist to slowly taper off the old medications and transition to the new, under the direction of both my Naturopath and my Psychiatrist. That took close to a year until I was on all vitamins and supplements plus 1 prescription drug, which is much better than 5, I might say so myself. I noticed changes immediately, especially as the steps I took increased and as the pace began to pick up. These are the dramatic changes I noticed in myself…

I became more self aware, essentially more comfortable in my own skin. I could read my body for the first time and listen to what it was telling me. I became more assertive and decisive about what I want in life. I became more independent of others to make me happy or fulfill my needs.  And, I slowly saw the need to help others as I was helping myself, not only with their personal health and wellness care but also with any personal problems they may be facing. (Take for example: I’ve made it a point to truly be there for my friend who was diagnosed with cancer and recently started chemotherapy.) Looking outside of oneself definitely teaches you a lot about life and even your own self, as well. What other changes had to happen?

As I mentioned, the process was slow going and being the impatient person that I am, it was very frustrating at times. Once I officially transferred over to solely being  under my Naturopath’s care, (I kept my Psychiatrist as a back up, ‘just in case.’) I began to explore new pathways of proactively treating my mania and depression. Some of these include: vitamins and supplements, exercise, diet, being in nature, reflecting, reading & meditating on my Bible, therapy, improving personal relationships, and goal setting, to name a few.  (I’ll get in to how all these things have help me in my life in a later blog). Looking back…

No regrets. My Soul Search continues. I’m a happier me…but even better: I’m content, proud of myself, and curious to discover what else is in store for me! Not only that, many of my close family members and friends can see the difference. They have expressed things to me like: ‘You’re doing so much better now than you were a year ago.’ At times an outsiders opinion can help tremendously. I still feel that I have a lot to work on so I had to ask them if they were telling me the truth??? Yes, they were! I was so stuck in what was going wrong and what I still wasn’t accomplishing, rather than focusing on how far I’ve come in my journey. My mindset changed yet again. The Soul Search never stops…