The key to a peaceful life is taking control of your wishes. One extreme is trying to make all your wishes true. That way you are unfocused, constantly drawn away from important things and in danger of losing what really matters in life, like health or family bliss for example. The other extreme is trying to achieve nirvana or the state without wishes. Nirvana is the minute before dying in your last incarnation, so take it easy – you can have some wishes, just make sure you don’t overdo it. Some things are not meant to be, thus you should let go of some wishes. Another common mistake is having...

This time I have really great news! My BIO is one of 11 life stories of people with bipolar disorder, published in the new edition of Bipolar Disorder for Dummies. Read more on Joe Kraynak’s blog.

Pessimism is a very common thinking pattern nowadays. It is accompanied by a well-known reasoning: ‘I choose pessimism, because I hate to be disappointed.’ Thus pessimism seems to be the safe way through life. But is it really? What if it escalates to depression? And even if it does not – do we really want to be miserable for 70 or even 100 years, simply in order to avoid disappointment? I used to be a pessimist. The upper safety strategy was so deeply rooted in my ways of thinking that I was not even aware of it. In addition to that I had another belief: ‘If I expect the worst, I will...

People often find similarities in my story, even though they might have a different diagnosis from mine which is schizoaffective disorder. I have recently written the following lines as an answer to an e-mail. I find them interesting for others as well: Over the years I have come to the conclusion that the exact diagnosis does not matter that much. Also there are cases when people get totally O.K. in their thirties, even though they have been diagnosed with ‘chronic’. So do not despair! The western medicine (psychiatry) does not believe that our lifestyle can help the illness, but they...

Last week I was asked to contribute my ‘bipolar bio’ for a revised edition of Bipolar Disorder for Dummies. Joe Kraynak, one of the authors of the book, wrote to me: ‘We’re currently revising Bipolar Disorder For Dummies and are looking for people to contribute “Bipolar Bio” sidebars.’ It is funny how such e-mails always arrive, when I am losing faith in my project. Thank you Joe Kraynak!