A bridge over a beautiful waterfall

A bridge over a beautiful waterfall
Nature brings magic

Tuesday, April 29, 2014

Y is for Yo-Yo




I don't there's many of us who haven't at least seen a yo-yo. We've watched it go up and down and up and down. Some of us have even tried it. There are those who could barely get it to go up and down. Then there were those who could do amazing tricks with them.

A yo-yo is a good analogy for daily life. There are ups and downs, some days we can barely make it, and others are amazing and we feel awesome. The thing about a yo-yo is you don't always have control over if it goes up or down. People do have some control over that. My N post goes over this so I'm not going to get into it here. But remember that we have some control over what makes us feel bad.

Another thing that a yo-yo can be an analogy for is the mood swings of someone suffering from mental illness. One day they're fine, happy, and as normal as life gets for them. The next they can be depressed, violent, self harming themselves, suffer hallucinations, etc.

No one can know when a mood swing will happen. There are certain things that could trigger them. A bad day, a harsh word, reading something that upsets them. Or there isn't anything that you can see that sends them off into their low mood. There are days where we don't know the reason why we hit that low.

With medication, meditation, exercise, hospitalization, and/or counseling, there is a way for us to bounce back up. We aren't as quick as a yo-yo but it does happen. Just like people who don't have a mental illness. We aren't that different from those around us. We just have a chemical issue that requires further assistance before we can reach something we can consider normal.

Then there are the awesome days, the ones where it's easy to have a good day. Things go smoothly for us. There's something to excite us, or we're rewarded for something. Our favorite song plays on the radio. We get a day off and do something fun – just define what fun is for you. Those awesome days are also part of a yo-yo life.

Life is like a yo-yo. Be patient and it will always go back up. It may take time. But it will.

10 comments:

  1. Life is very much like a yo-yo. The good thing about that is the amazing tricks you can do with a yo-yo. And life can be the same. You can do some amazing things with it. =)

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  2. Sometimes it's like a yo-yo with a busted string.

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    1. Yeah, I know that feeling. Eventually a new string gets attached and things get moving again. It just feels like a long time before that happens.

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  3. Great post - attitude is everything :)

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    1. Attitude is the hardest thing to change if you're used to a more negative view on life. It can be better if you really try.

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  4. I was obsessed with yo-yos as a kid and completely awful at every trick. I think I'm much better with life yo-yos. I always believe things will get better, even when I'm stuck in the muck.

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    1. I never really got into yo-yos because people would use them to hit me when I got bullied at school. Life yo-yos are getting better for me. I'm beginning to have the ability things will get better. It's hard work but it's paying off.

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  5. I've never thought about life being a yo-yo but it's a great analogy. Like a rollercoaster, with ups and downs, going off the tracks, terrifying hairpin curves and so on, but all in all, what a rush!

    Another yo-yo analogy I thought of as I was reading your post is yo-yo dieting, which is something I'm unfortunately pretty familiar with.

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    1. Yeah, yo-yo dieting is also something I'm familiar with. I have my ups and my downs. I figure it'll all balance out in the end eventually.

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