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       Robert Williams, the comedian and a very talented actor said:

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"You're only given a little spark madness, you mustn't lose it".

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Isn't that true? We all need a little craziness to live our lives on this earth and reach our goals; we also need a lot of reasoning to transcend convictions and not get lost in the process of trying to succeed in life or helping someone else achieve their goals. Not paying attention at all when we are completely losing our emotional resources for a cause or person can be fatal.

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The challenges of life come for many reasons. We all know our problems, so we must have the courage to face them. There are other situations that we sometimes have to face, such as "mental instability."

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Sometimes the worst place you can be is in your head. Many people do not understand what it feels like to live with a mental disorder. According to the National Alliance on Mental Illness, in every five people, there is one person who has post-traumatic stress disorder, obsessive-compulsive disorder, anxiety, depression, and other mental illnesses.

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Mental illness steals our intellect, twists our emotions; in the blink of an eye, it can destroy everything good we have worked for, and it doesn't matter if you are too smart or talented, or if you think you have your life organized. Mental illness has the power to remove everything from our lives, leaving us in devastation. Living with mental illness is not easy; it is a constant problem without a clear solution.

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It is possible to believe that nothing in this world can torment you as much as your thoughts. Finding ourselves alone and defenseless like some people we sometimes see in our lives, with minimal reasoning, can be devastating. It is incredible how quickly our lives can change as dramatically as if we never had any talents or some kind of useful conscience.

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It takes a gentle and well-grounded person by our side when we have a mental illness so as not to become a statistic. Often, we struggle a lot with the inner darkness, but somehow we manage to continue because we have a helping hand that strives to advance and improve our health. But unfortunately, sometimes even the love of a good friend is not enough because the truth is that nobody can save us from self-harm but ourselves.

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It seems that each person has psychological problems that they faced. It is difficult to treat or understand another person with psychological difficulties a little or much more significant than ours since we all go through difficult times.

Most of the time, we never strive to understand our minds much less that of others. We need to value people who are willing to help simply by being friends; they are a blessing.

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Since mental health is not a destination, but a process, it's about how we drive, not where we go. I believe that everyone needs a significant amount of energy to live healthily; we must let our behavior evolve according to the natural rhythm of life and try not to harm others in the process.

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No, I knew not my body was a temple. I know now

...Sometimes the kindest word you can say is "No."

 

For some people, it can seem scary or a waste of time trying to interact with a mentally ill person. But, we need some understanding that one should not run away from someone when they hear the words "Mental Disorder." Just because of the words "mentally-ill" makes you fearful! Sometimes, we have no interest in knowing about the kind of suffering a person with a mental disorder is going through!

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By educating ourselves, we can erase specific fears when we hear terms like "Mental problems." We will realize that a person with psychological disabilities can live a productive and healthy life.

 

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What is a standard life change, when our brains don't work well, sometimes even the smallest task is not a natural, normal thing to do. Washing dishes, for example, it may seem like a chore to move a mountain. Our everyday life can get very heavy. When our minds are complicated, a significant panic attack feels like you're in immediate danger of dying. Sometimes it feels like a bucket with freezing water has ben dump over your head. Heart palpitations, dizziness, and shortness of breath. It's honestly terrifying, and that only continues the vicious cycle of panic.

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We become confused and frustrated the expression "live one day at a time" goes to hell in a handbasket, our time stops in this place where there is no hope or a new day or a new smile.

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In our bad days, we don't understand anyone, and nobody understands us. While on the other hand, in our good days, we hold on to the little spark of madness and imagine ourselves at the center of our universe, trying again to be kind to others and ourselves, Training our best it's always a plus.

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It is rare enough to find someone who sees the same world as you. Creativity is as different in each individual as our personalities are. Only love of life and our loved ones can help us recognize that we have a disease that robs our mental capacity. No, we cannot give up as long as we have at least a little control and self-esteem. Taking care of our bodies must become our priority to allow our minds to heal and, in fact, make it the most precious ally in our fight against our mental ravages.

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Dr. Mario Alonso Puig is a surgeon who studies the impact of mental, psychological processes on the development of talents and abilities. In one of his interviews, he answered this question: "When you hear the word successful, which person comes to mind? His reassuring answer to me was," I think of anyone, whatever his position, who is happy to be alive."

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He also said something he is convinced, but he cannot prove: "I am convinced that there is a loving intelligence which organizes and orders the cosmos, and which is always in our favor."

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I, personally, was not aware that artistic creation might be a necessity for an artist. Maybe it's that little spark of madness that Mr. Rober Williams spoke about what drives the artist to create. As a young girl, I had no idea that being an artist could be a lifetime career.

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Later in life, I learned to say "yes" to the possibility of being a professional artist; I learn too that my mind can be transformed and create the best version of myself according to my talent and intellect. Acquiring knowledge to help me achieve my personal and professional goals here and now has taken some self-love and the will to live every time I wake to a new day.

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Being bipolar does not represent a definitive diagnosis of fear and frustration for the rest of our lives and our personal or professional aspirations, at least not for me. However, it is an extremely distressing experience, and the fear of not having control over our minds is a dreaded feeling. 

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It can be challenging to find people who love us, who understand what we are going through and who are ready to be our teachers, helping us integrate into society. However, It is also understandable that many people are not willing to tolerate unreasonable behavior just because someone is bipolar.

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When we get to know that we are suffering from a mental illness, it is up to us to make great efforts to control bad energy and integrate it into our emotional growth. There are important reasons why many people are unwilling to tolerate lousy behavior. Being kind to others is always a healthy choice, no matter if we suffer from mental illness or not.

 

Doing what is right, or exercising our minds for the first time to what is virtuous, is an excellent way to go. Being kind to ourselves to help those who love us should be our top priority. We must believe that after every night, there comes a bright day with a beautiful sunrise wen wake up, we have a bright future ahead waiting for us to fill it with enjoyable and satisfying experiences.

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Health does not always come from medicine. Most of the time, it comes from peace of mind, peace in the heart, peace in the soul. It comes from laughter and love. Taking care of our mental health is the smart thing to do. To overcome our frustrations, we can remember that faith and hope are high, mighty energies that have helped a countless number of people around the world.

 

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As I began to love myself, I recognized that my mind can disturb me and sometimes can make me sick. But as I contacted it to my heart, my mind became a valuable ally> Today; I call this connection " Wisdom of the Heart."

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I now know, I live in a world where we celebrate art. Talent has helped us transcend in many ways, and man's natural creative intelligence has made its mark in and out of this world with our technology.

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With all our scientific and technological progress is not difficult for me to believe someday we will have a better understanding of mental disorders and, even from a more hopeful perspective, to treat and understand them more humanely. Perhaps this will happen before Mr. Elon Musk colonizes Mars.

 

Like Diego Rivera, I, too, believe and admire the creators of my time; it is a fantastic experience to be inspired by their incredible talents.​

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          Artist:

         Lorena Sliffe Preciado

              Bipolar Bright

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Throughout history, mental illness and art have had a close time connection. Many artists who suffer, or have suffered, from mental illness, translate their emotions or problems into their work and are greatly influenced by it. Pablo Picasso, who was one of the most influential 20th-century artists in the world, was thought to be a sufferer of Bipolar disorder. There where long periods of Picasso's life as an artist where he translated his emotions into his artwork through colors and the style of his paintings and artwork 1901-1904 has been identified as Picasso's "Blue Period"  whereby the color blue was specifically chosen to convey emotions of coldness, misery, and despair. Then shortly after that the colors slowly transition into brighter, warm 'Rose Period' of 1904-1906, where Picasso used soft pink (Rose) and primary colors. The two periods represent the transition in his life from poverty, depression, and darkness, to love and life. 

 

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  ―Lucy Connolly

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