Flipswitch

Hey Flipswitch fans!

This is Ryan writing to you all in the first of what will be weekly blog posts. I hope everyone’s previous week went well and the current one is following suit. Mine is going great, I was able to get a few tests out of the way and catch up on some studying, which got me thinking about a major theme that we hear at Flipswitch trying to hammer into you guys: Regimented Living.

For several weeks, after my last round of tests, I definitely slacked off with school. Many days I found myself coming home from class or wherever with my hand in a bag of potato chips watching Cash Cab on Discovery Channel (awesome show by the way). Then before I knew it, it was time for round two of tests and I was severely behind in studying. My mind got overwhelmed, and as many of you well know the first thought that comes into your head is, “I am never going to be able to do this!” Luckily, I made it out in O.K. shape after it was all said and done, but the main thing I learned (and I have come across this epiphany more than once after doing a show and thinking about my own life) is maybe I should pay a little more attention and heed the advice we give you guys and try it out in my own life.

Regimenting my life, which I do at least to a minimal degree already, would have set myself up with a little less stressful of a time before those tests. I would have had more of the work done and the pile wouldn’t have been so high. This example appears to be pretty simple and cliché, to which I agree, but it is something we all face and gives the basic idea of what I am trying to say to you: All the tools we suggest to you will help improve you life.

In fact, these tools will help anyone who uses them. They are not simply for people living with and battling mood disorders, they are very basic (and often times common sense) approaches to handling many of the problems that everyday life throws at us all. What blows my mind though, is how little people draw on these simple ideas to help them out. Perhaps many of those reasons that people don’t use them can be seen coming out of the round table discussions that we have been airing the last several weeks. It seems, as of right now that people in general (especially these teens and college students) don’t want to appear vulnerable; a feeling I know I try to avoid at all costs. Knowing you need any kind of help, whether it is clinical or even a simple regimen can make you feel this vulnerability, and not up to par with what the world expects.

Anyway, I hope this wasn’t too long or boring for the first post. I will try and add a little more spice and humor to the next one.

Until then, Cheers! Ryan