DBSA JACKSON: Depression Bipolar Support Alliance of Jackson is committed to helping to improve the lives of those suffering with mood disorders. Our inspirational support group, A Better Tomorrow, meets every Thursday at 3 - 5 pm. At the Rainbow Peer Support Center, 67 American Drive, Jackson. Friends and family members are welcome. For more information call: (731) 215-7200.
Sometimes routine gets a bad rap…one that it doesn't always deserve. Oh, I can think of a few drawbacks it might have, but only a few. By far the pluses outweigh any negatives by what could be a wide margin. Just think of these few activities most of us are regularly involved in which require a number of routine actions: meal preparation, bathing, brushing teeth, rest, sleep, exercise, grocery shopping, laundry, house cleaning, bill paying, leisure, doctor and dentist visits, automobile maintenance, income tax filing.
If we lack a routine to accomplish these tasks, we can run into difficulties that we may come to regret later. Some will be simple, of course, like running out of milk for our cereal or not having any clean socks. Other problems could prove more costly in consequences like when the car stops for lack of oil or we get an eviction notice for not paying the rent or mortgage. Even more serious circumstances may arise, unfortunately, when we've failed to take proper care of ourselves and our doctor has just given us some bad news. These situations, as varied in scope and severity as they are, might all have been moderated to some degree and others even prevented if routine had been implemented and in place earlier on. So how does routine help us out…how does it work?
Activities that must be done regularly (daily, weekly, monthly, yearly or at specified times or intervals) usually are easier to accomplish and more thoroughly and accurately completed when a routine procedure is in place. People busy in an emergency room are all expected to follow established procedures to maximize proficiency and eliminate error. Successful teachers following well-developed guidelines use proven techniques and equipment that train young minds to think and learn. Bus, taxicab and truck drivers--along with airline pilots and ship captains--all follow maintenance procedures and operating routes and patterns to reach each destination safely. World class dancers practice particular routines that require specific movements in hopes of having acceptable if not perfect performances.
As dedicated caregivers, family members and companions to loved ones who have mood disorders, we might want to take a closer look at routine as an even more valuable tool than we might presently realize. To get started, here are a few routines we and our loved ones just might want to give additional thought to:
There are times to "think outside of the box" and there are times that established procedures and routines are best to follow. Knowing when to do which is of vital importance
Jerry Malugeon http://support.surfcitypress.org
As 2012 draws to a close, Americans watch and wait as a major showdown unfolds in the nation's capital. The stakes are high: If the federal government can't hammer out an agreement by year's end, expiring provisions of the tax code threaten to raise taxes on millions of families at every income level.
To help you anticipate the possible outcome of the "fiscal cliff" -- and how the markets may respond -- USAA experts offer their perspectives on how this legislative negotiation could affect the nation's tax code. While failure to reach agreement by Jan. 1 also will trigger automatic spending cuts, our experts here discuss how Washington's actions could impact your taxes.
Dan Brouillette, senior vice president of government and industry relations at USAA, sees three ways the debate could play out during the coming weeks.
1. Most likely: A bridge of compromise
While there's a growing appetite for tax reform, Brouillette believes there simply isn't time for legislators to hammer out a major new agreement before Dec. 31. Democrats and Republicans may agree in principle to forge a wider deal later in 2013 and take the first steps toward it by:
"Politically, this allows both parties to claim victory. Democrats will have raised revenue from top earners, while Republicans will have avoided increases in income tax rates," Brouillette says.
This is what investors also are expecting. "At this point, the markets are clearly pricing a compromise that leans toward higher taxes on those at the upper end of the income scale," says Matt Freund, senior vice president of investment portfolio management at USAA. Since it's already reflected in current stock and bond prices, Freund says, this potential outcome isn't likely to prompt a big swing in the markets.
2. Less likely: Full expiration -- but only temporarily
If both parties remain deadlocked on New Year's Eve, Americans will wake the next day to find themselves subject to higher income, investment, payroll and estate taxes.
"If this happens, I'd expect stock and corporate bond prices to fall, as investors anticipate the impact of an additional $500 billion of money being diverted from the economy and into Washington," Freund says. "On the other hand, Treasury bond prices might climb, since the additional federal revenue would put a big dent in the country's trillion-dollar deficits and raise confidence that Uncle Sam will keep making interest payments."
If the tax provisions expire, it probably won't be long until many of them return, Brouillette says. He anticipates Congress would take quick action to turn back the clock and restore 2012 tax rates, except for Americans at the highest income levels.
3. Least likely: The punt
Congress may once again choose to forgo making big tax decisions and simply pass an extension of the existing tax structure that lasts six months or even a year or two. Brouillette and Freund agree that while this outcome may be the least likely, it could be the most harmful to the nation's economy.
"An extension of the status quo might spark a rally in stocks and corporate bonds," Freund says, "but a failure to address the nation's growing $16 trillion-dollar debt could be bad for Treasury bonds in the short run and bad for our economy's fundamentals over the longer haul."
Officers and chapter leaders:
I feel this description and explanation is straight forward. If this is helpful to you, please pass it on to your members.
Thank you.
Respectfully,
Larry Drain, Legislative Liaision for DBSA Tennessee, provides us the results of his research into the need to expand TennCare.Thank you, Larry |
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A Letter between two travellers (a letter from someone who suffers with depression to one with bi-polar illness.)
From this short and shallow valley ,I write
wondering where you are on this starry night.
On the mountian high,as if to fly?
or in the valley low, is what I need to know.
If I walk on that level plain,
and see you about to take flight again,
I would grab your heels, running as fast as I can,
and if I couldn't hold on, I'd fall in the sand.
And from there I would watch you soar to the sun,
but I know for you what's next is no fun,
into the depths of the valley you will fall,
where there seems to be no help at all.
But in this place I also have been,
and been in parts that can't be seen,
and in those I will look around,
in hope that there you will be found.
For when you soar and burn your wing,
and feel the way the rocks of the valley sting,
when the dwellers of the plain look down,
you know I'll be around.
But if I'm trapped in this crevice you can't see,
please come down and rescue me,
I would do the same for you,
and I know you'd do it to.
For one day we'll walk on another plain,
on a clean clear path, free of pain.
I hope to greet you there,
because I know you care.
A Letter between two travellers (a letter from someone who suffers with depression to one with bi-polar illness.)
From this short and shallow valley ,I write
wondering where you are on this starry night.
On the mountian high,as if to fly?
or in the valley low, is what I need to know.
If I walk on that level plain,
and see you about to take flight again,
I would grab your heels, running as fast as I can,
and if I couldn't hold on, I'd fall in the sand.
And from there I would watch you soar to the sun,
but I know for you what's next is no fun,
into the depths of the valley you will fall,
where there seems to be no help at all.
But in this place I also have been,
and been in parts that can't be seen,
and in those I will look around,
in hope that there you will be found.
For when you soar and burn your wing,
and feel the way the rocks of the valley sting,
when the dwellers of the plain look down,
you know I'll be around.
But if I'm trapped in this crevice you can't see,
please come down and rescue me,
I would do the same for you,
and I know you'd do it to.
For one day we'll walk on another plain,
on a clean clear path, free of pain.
I hope to greet you there,
because I know you care.
