Welcome to the 2024 Year-End Review Series. Every Sunday in December, we will focus on one topic. Each week will have at least one video, featuring me, and include the script (text) below. The regular Sunday newsletter will return in Januray. Are you ready to change the way you feel about the coming year? Let’s get started. If you want to share your wins, hit reply and tell me about them. Reader, I'm so excited to close my year with you. Thank you for being part of the Speaking Bipolar community. Until next time, keep fighting. Scott Ninneman VideosIntroduction Video (Watch First)2024 Year End Week 1: Focus on WinsScriptsIntroduction VideoHello Speaking Bipolar readers. I’m Scott Ninneman, and I’m the man behind everything on SpeakingBipolar.com. We’re going to mix things up as we finish the year. Today’s newsletter and the next 4 are all designed to help you close your year in the best possible way. When you can leave 2024 with a good mindset, then 2025 will start even better. There will be at least one video in every newsletter, but for those who like me who prefer to read, I’ll also include the text below. The lesson video is me reading the post. I’m making these videos for two reasons. One, many of you have asked for audio content, and I want you to know I hear you. Two, video is becoming more popular every year. If I want to keep up, I have to dip my toes in the video pool, whether I like it or not. So because I love you all, I’m going to try this and see how it goes. These videos are largely unedited, so please be kind. I’m doing my best and learning as I go. Believe it or not, this first video took me over four hours, but I think I’m figuring things out now. Thank you for your understanding and patience. Now let’s get into this week’s lesson. 2024 Year End Week 1: Focus on WinsHi. I’m Scott Ninneman, and I’m the author behind SpeakingBipolar.com. This is the Week 1 video for the Speaking Bipolar’s Year-End Series. These videos will help you close your year in the best way possible. To download a free workbook to use with these videos, go to speakingbipolar.com/review. Let’s dive in. When I first started cooking, it was a disaster. My mom told me to make spaghetti, which should be one of the easiest dinners to make. I was barely tall enough to reach the cooking pans, but I was so excited, I couldn’t wait. Over the years, I’d watched my mom make supper hundreds of times. I knew I was ready. My parents were always good about letting us learn our own way. I was an independent kid, so I didn’t want a micro-manager. I knew what needed to be done and felt confident in my ability. When my mom cooked, she tossed in spices, never measuring them. She knew how much looked right. I thought I could do the same, so I grabbed spices off the rack and sprinkled them at random. Then I got to the salt, and I thought, “Everybody likes salt.” So I dumped in twice as much as the other spices. The resulting spaghetti sauce was barely edible, but my dad ate it, anyway. He knew I felt like a failure when the sauce tasted like salt water with meatballs, and he wanted me to have a win. How he swallowed every bite, I’ll never know, but I’m grateful he did. From then on, I asked for directions and let my mom or older sister help me when I cooked. Every meal that tasted good was a win and gave me confidence to cook even more. Don’t stressTo grow as a human, it’s essential to take time to look at your past successes. Every win counts and should be celebrated. This review is especially important at the end of the year. But what counts as a win? That’s completely up to you. First off, don’t stress yourself out. Your wins should never compare to anyone else’s. It’s up to you to make your own definition of success. No win is too small to be counted. I had both an awesome and a terrible year. As I share my win list later, I hope it inspires you to make your own. Counting your winsYou probably have many little successes every day. Take a moment and honor every single one. Every time you take your medicine, eat a healthy meal, or go to bed when you’d rather stay up with binge watching Grey’s Anatomy, that’s a win. And every win has power. Every success gives you a boost to keep trying. For this week, I want you to think about your wins from this past year. Here are a few prompts to get you started:
Try to list as many wins as you can. If you’re using the Year-End Review Guide, there’s room for 15, but don’t let that number stop you. If you struggle to come up with five, that’s okay. And if you come up with 50, that’s wonderful. Congratulations to you. Remember, this is only about you. It doesn’t matter how many wins I have or anyone else. These are your wins. Counting my winsI had some huge wins this year, including publishing my first book. I can’t tell you how happy I am to hold it in my hands. There were also successes that some people might consider unimportant. I’m still alive as I write this, nearing the end of 2024. That’s pretty spectacular, especially knowing what darkness lives in my head. I also took my medication consistently all year and maintained my stability even through the grief of losing my dad in May. Some wins were painfulMy heart is full for another win: I fulfilled a promise I made to my dad. The thought of going to a nursing home terrified him. So, years ago, I promised I would do whatever I could to keep him at home. Those last months of his life were brutal, and there were days I told God I couldn’t go on, but I’m so glad I did. In the end, my dad died at home, with my mom and me by his side. Even through our tears, I felt the joy of knowing that I’d give him what I had promised. More wins on my listI’m also celebrating the writing I did this year. In 2024, I earned more money from writing than ever. It’s not enough to live off, but it’s enough to keep me motivated to write more. One of my biggest goals for this year was to lose weight. I didn’t meet my weight loss goal, but I’m still counting my health as a win. I started exercising consistently, and the stretches I’m doing are improving both my physical and mental health. I’ve also made a switch in the type of snacks I eat. Rather than bags full of potato chips and cookies, I now eat mostly plant-based foods. For dessert (because who can live without dessert?) I try to eat fruit, though I won’t lie. There’s a carrot cake in my refrigerator right now, and I know I’ll eat every bite. For my salty cravings, I’ve been turning to nuts like pistachios and cashews. I get both the crunch and taste that my body craves from healthier source. Finally, I’m celebrating all of you as my win. This year, Speaking Bipolar set a new record for the number of subscribers. I am grateful for every one of you. You’re the reason I spend 18-plus hours every week creating and publishing fresh content. Now, it’s your turn. As you go through this week, keep your wins in your mind. Use the questions above to make your list, and then celebrate all the good things you did. You are pretty wonderful and should celebrate every success. As you list your wins, think about what they taught you. How have they given you more confidence? What have they proved about the strength you have? Next week, we will continue in the Year-End Guide and focus on gratitude. Until next time, keep fighting. Additional Reading:
|
Hi! I'm Scott. I've been fighting this battle for nearly three decades. I know you can live a full, happy life with mental illness, and I want to help you get there. Each Sunday newsletter includes tips for living your best life while teaching the truth about bipolar disorder. Join our family of 750+ members today!
Do you know about glimmers? They are the opposite of triggers. A trigger can be a sound, smell, or an image that induces bipolar symptoms. Triggers are negative and cause unwanted reactions. A glimmer is the polar opposite. Your glimmers can be anything that adds joy, peace, happiness, or gratitude to your life. Here are a few examples of glimmers: The yellow wildflower you see growing between the cracks in the sidewalk. The red and orange sunset filling the evening sky. The smile of a...
Ugh, this was a week! I’m feeling better as I write this update on Saturday night, but most of this past week was awful. I tell the entire sordid tale in the featured post below. Hopefully, you remembered to turn your clocks back last night. If not, here’s a friendly reminder (if you live in a place still forcing time changes on its citizens. If not, I’m jealous. 🙃) Time changes can cause problems with bipolar disorder, so take extra good care of yourself for the next few weeks. You will...
I hate the days I wake up angry. My head runs full of conversations that either I’ve already had or need to have. I imagine saying the worst things and behaving like a dangerous monster. The swirl of thoughts overwhelms me, and stopping them feels impossible. Many times, when I wake up feeling so enraged that I can’t see any color but red, I’ll choose to stay home. Too many times, I have struck out at people on those awful days. Some of the damage was irreparable. On other days, I use my...