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BY AMANDA GRIEME

NEWJERSEYNEWSROOM.COM

DEAR PRUDENCE

October 2, 2012

Dear Prudence,

I feel like I am losing my mind, literally! This seems to be cyclical; every October, despite all the time I spend at the beach, I feel like I just can’t hold it together. My husband gets frustrated, my twin toddlers seem to pick up on my anxiety and act out constantly, and I just want to sleep… preferably until next spring. I have tried antidepressants, therapy, you name it. I have not been diagnosed with any psychological problems and nothing seems to help with this mood. It is like a cloud that follows me from the end of September until Memorial Day Weekend. Any words of wisdom?

– J from Sea Bright, NJ

Dearest J,

Hello Sunshine… and I mean that literally and figuratively! Coming from a girl who knows, sometimes that is truly the only thing that helps! In fact, In the endless search for ways to quell the ever-changing moods inherent with Rapid-Cycling Bipolar Disorder... ways that don't leave me incapacitated by chemicals, dependent on something, and unable to care for my toddler... I have happened upon YET ANOTHER approach… by accident, really.

In essence, it is only the beginning of Autumn, and the lack of sunlight is already having a deleterious effect on my person, as well; I am beastly in one breath, shattered in the next, contented only by sleep and solitude, disgusted by food, yet enlightened after an ice cream dollop afloat on a sea of melted peanut butter. Venturing outside of my front door can seem a task, yet I feel an immense need to get out of the house! Sound familiar? My Solution? A lightbox (designed for Seasonal Affective Disorder or SAD).

I lept onto the bandwagon when I read countless success stories of people who reaped the benefits of “SAD lights.” I turned mine on for fifteen minutes in the morning with a cup of coffee, consecutively for three days. I was a high-flying bird! Inspired: unstoppable, violently-happy, painfully-optimistic. It felt GREAT until... agitation set in. Physical discomfort, twitches, potential energy angrily seeping from every pore while I tried to calm/center and be a mommy.

A whopping oops! I triggered a self-induced mixed bipolar state, a bad place to be and the bane of the bipolar diagnosis… simply because I neglected to read the not-so-fine print that stated follow directions strictly and ask psychiatrist if light box therapy is recommended by her/him for my specific diagnosis.

But for you J, it may be a saving grace! The light is making its shift from summer to the more introspective autumn and winter months. Melancholy is common, but doesn’t need to rule your life. Please talk to your psychiatrist and/or doctor about trying light box therapy. I highly recommend The Sunbox Company located in Gaithersburg, Maryland. Check out the website: http://www.sunbox.com

Kindly, Prudence

P.S. J, Please ask your husband, who is “frustrated” with your emotional state to attempt walking in your shoes for just one day! He will, undoubtedly, change his tune. Catch my drift?

Amanda Grieme, Author of NewJerseyNewsroom.com advice column entitled “Dear Prudence” - Life Advice to Help YOU Cope, New Jersey is a former English/Creative Writing Educator and most importantly, mother. She LIVES with Bipolar Disorder choosing writing and Radio as her catharsis and creative medium to help others. Her life experience with mental illness, self-medication and ten years as an educator will lend listeners invaluable, often quirky life advice. Please check out her debut novel and radio show:

Author of “Dear Prudence” available at www.eloquentbooks.com/dearprudence.html and at your favorite independent bookstore or online venue.

Host of “Dear Prudence” Radio – Life Advice to Help You Cope http://www.blogtalkradio.com/dearprudence