Hello readers. If you’ve made it here, then know that I am very very excited! This is my first blog post on a site like WordPress. My purpose in blogging here is to hone my writing skills, explore several topics that mean a lot to me, and serve as an emotional release for all of the goings on in my mind.
If you continue to visit this blog in the future, you will probably see a number of entries relating to mental health. I have bipolar disorder, and have probably had it since I was at least 14 years old. But this will not be a strictly “bipolar” blog. Bipolar disorder is not my whole life. I have several interests, and they, too, help define me and understand life. These include, but are not limited to nature, cooking, dancing, music (particularly classical music), birds, social issues, languages, humor, and travel. I am passionate about all of these things, and also become quite excited to explore other interests and topics that I encounter.
When I was a very little girl, I used to think that I could fly. I particularly believed this when I danced. I grew up in a musical family who got together almost every weekend when I was young. Many members would play instruments. They played mostly jazz, ragtime, and Dixie Land. When I joined ballet, I also fell in love with classical music. The music was intoxicating for me. Sometimes it brought out intense feelings. Feelings that I later experienced in mania, mixed episodes, and even depressions.
In my late teens through 30s I became an avid traveler. Flying all around the world. Soaking in a barrage of sensory “stimulants”. Then suddenly it all slowed down to a crawl in some respects. My body hardly moved, and yet my brain still raced. That is when I truly discovered my love of writing. My dance and flights are now mostly ideas flowing like music. My fingers flittering on my keyboard like the wings of a hummingbird dancing around the flowers. That’s why I decided to call this my bird flight blog. I am a bipolar bird dancer in flight.
Bird Flight 
I like your blog, Bird Dancer!
My Dad was a psychiatrist and he promoted the idea of music as a therapy. What is your opinion on that? For me personally, classical music is a life vest, defibrillator and an IV drip, all in one.
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Thanks, Central Scrutinizer! As I said, I’m excited to get started.
I have so many memories in the past when I would retreat to my bedroom or living room and dance to my favorite music. I would feel like I was in another world. Usually I chose music that gave me feelings of elation, but sometimes when I was angry or irritable it was a release for me too. Kind of like punching a pillow. But of course it depended on what type of music I played. Classical and Jazz are my first loves, but I also love Rock & Roll and other types of music.
I was hospitalized several times (psychiatric hospitals) and in what are called IOPs (Intensive Outpatient Programs). Art therapies are very common and significant in those places. Music and dance therapies were of course my favorite.
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Hi, thanks so much for visiting my blog and following. It’s wonderful to connect with you! I love the reason behind your blog’s name. I look forward to reading more. Welcome to the world of blogging! Take care, Jenny
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Thank you so much for the sweet welcome, Jenny. I look forward to reading your blog too. Tomorrow I plan on doing lots of reading. Today I just finished a new blog entry about non-sugar and low sugar sweeteners. I’m interested in cooking and baking topics, and with my bipolar I have to keep the calories and carbs to a minimum.
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Sounds great! I love to cook and bake, so I’ll be interested to take a look. 🙂
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Interesting blog title!!!
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I love the name and the story behind it! I’m excited for you and looking forward to following your journey! Thank you so much for following my blog! I’m following yours as well, and I’m really going to enjoy it 😊❤️
It’s so nice to meet you!
~The Silent Wave Blog writer/Laina 🌟🌟
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Laina, I’m so sorry I am only thanking you for your comment and following now. I’m still fairly new blogging here at WordPress. Somehow I missed seeing it back on 3/10. I believe I am following you too. If not, I’ll check out your blog and do so.
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Not a problem at all, my lovely! ❤️. You’re in plenty of company – I had written a number of posts back in July, August, and September that received comments and reblogs that I had not responded to or thanked the person for. I was having issues with technology, especially an increasingly outdated mobile phone, and I wasn’t getting all my notifications. Finally got a new phone and in December, finally went back and responded to months-old comments and shares (lol) 😊
Not to worry, dear one; WordPress itself is feature-rich and complex, and even the conventional “etiquette” can be overwhelming at times. We’re all with you; plenty of latitude from here! I’m just happy to hear from you; the timing is unimportant to me 😊❤️
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Thank you, my friend! 🙂
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Hey! I’m Reba Cray! I’m a very new blogger who has no clue what she’s doing. I’m 13 years old, and I started two new blogs a few days ago. A friend of mine suggested I start a blog so I could share what I write and stuff. I know you’ve written a lot of other posts, but your first one really got me. I was wondering if you had any suggestions as to sharing and getting my blog looked at by more people. I literally have one person following me.😣 Just wondering!
-Reba Cray😆
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Hi Reba! Thank you for visiting my blog, and welcome to blogging on WordPress. I’ve had such a wonderful experience here in the last two plus months. I hope you will have the same.
When I first started blogging I wanted to increase traffic to my blog, as well. These are the suggestions I found that made the most difference:
1. Write posts based on the Daily Post word as often as possible (as long as you’re inspired by the word, of course). Doing so introduces your post to the maximum number of bloggers. You should see the daily post in the Reader’s “Followed Sites” each morning around 9 am Eastern time.
2. If you want readers, you have to be a reader, too. Start by checking out other peoples’ blogs (like you did with mine) that interest you and then comment (like you did). If you like their blog follow it. Very often they will follow yours to reciprocate. It often works the other way, too.
3. Pick your post tags and categories effectively. For example, I chose the words pets, birds, cats, dogs, emotional support animals, service animals, mental health, and words like that for my post about emotional support animals.
4. Post in the Community Pool as often as you can. That post is also available through your Reader’s “Followed Sites”. And as a new blogger post in the “First Friday” post that you’ll see on Fridays.
5. If you don’t mind your friends and family reading your blog, then ask them to visit it and follow it.
Good luck!
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Thanks for replying! You’re the first blog other than some of my closest friends blogs that I’m following.
What are post tags exactly?
What is the Community Pool, and the First Friday?
I have been asking my friends and family, but half of them are to busy to look at my blog😢
Sorry for all the questions, and thanks for the advise!
-Reba Cray😆
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Hi Reba. You can find the Daily Post and the Community Pool in the Reader menu (top right of your blog screen). You should probably already be following these posts. I think they are automatic. If not, do follow them. Today’s Daily Post is at https://wordpress.com/read/feeds/27030/posts/1442940245
The currently active Community Pool is at https://wordpress.com/read/feeds/27030/posts/1441866648 . Sometimes they close the comments, but a new Community Pool is usually posted in the Reader every Monday morning. Within the Community Pool post I listed above, you’ll find a First Friday link. The First Friday blog is only for brand new bloggers, like you. A new First Friday post is posted on (you guessed it), Fridays, but it stays active throughout the week.
That is so nice you found my blog first. Be sure to run searches for other blogs that might interest you. The Search function is also in the Reader menu.
When you are creating a new post there should be a menu that pops up on the right hand of the screen in “Write” mode. Look through the menu. Be sure to add a featured photo. Add tags that have to do with your post. Tags are like keywords. For example, if you post is a poem about a relationship you had, then tags could be “poem”, “relationships”, “love” or things like that. Don’t add the quotes. To add a tag just type the word and press enter. Then you can add more tags. They recommend not adding more than 15 tags.
You can create categories in your blog. For example, if you write poems, a category could be poems. If you also write a lot about music, a category could be music. But don’t add too many categories. Just catagories for things you write about often. There is an “Uncatagorized” category that can include the rest. I usually always tick that category, and only tick another I created, if relevant.
As mentioned, as you read other people’s blogs, if you like a post, do “like” it and comment, if you want to. If you really like their blog, consider following it. There is a follow button in most blogs. There is also a follow pop up that appears in the bottom right part of their blogs. Often when you follow a blog, they follow yours if they like yours. Liking, commenting, and following a blog makes most get interested in yours.
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Thank you so much for sharing this with your readers😊! You’re so kind.
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