Stacy Bender, Neighbor

I started off as a daughter on May 18, 1974.

I was a student.

I became a wife on May 20, 1995.

I became a mother for the first time on January 24, 1996.

I became a college graduate in May, 1996.

I became a teacher in September, 1996.

I became a pastor’s wife in October, 2001.

I became a licensed guidance counselor in 2007.

I became a dean of students on January 10, 2011.

I blog daily (as much as possible) at http://slowingtheracingmind.wordpress.com

There you will find that the blog comes from a few things that converged in my life at the same time.  The first was my diagnosis in March 2010: bipolar tendencies – I don’t think that is the exact diagnosis, but that is what I like to call it.

Who really cares if it is Bipolar I or II or whatever, right?  It means I swing from one pole to the other – wish it were as fun as that sounds…swinging. I’ve always loved swinging….

See – my mind races…and that is where the title comes from…in my manic states – which tend to be the ones that actually can end up causing more trouble than the non-manic times – my mind races.  I interrupt myself in thought, speech, an even action.

My experience with bipolar is more of energy than mood, but wow do I see where the two intersect!  When I have a manic time, I have a ton of energy –  my mind races, I think a lot of great things, and I can get a lot done – until the manic tips and becomes nasty.  When the energy dies out, I can become pretty lethargic, the mind slows, and I struggle to get out of bed.  I do not necessarily <strong>feel awful</strong>, but at some point I could see how I would feel badly about how unproductive and un-interactive I can become.

The blog then is really a coping mechanism to capitalize on the manic times when my mind races. It allows me to transfer and translate the thinks into slower written words that actually have meaning rather than bouncing.  It also helps during the lows as it has become routine – I do it every day. I write and I write and I write.

Welcome to all who read.  May the blog bless you, challenge you, and inspire you!