"It's a cruel, cruel summer..."

It's been a minute since I've shared a mental health post.

I'm in a good state of mind today, which makes this a good time to share.

If you're interested, you can check out the previous posts below.

Days can be sunny, cloudy, stormy, mild, insufferable, and any combination thereof. Summer can be particularly tough for many on the bipolar spectrum. This is how I cope.

Before I list a few of my favorite things to soothe the manic summer blues, I'll share something rare in today's world: a helpful ad. The "A.S.K." campaign is easy to remember and is a great way to reach out to your neurodiverse friends.

1. Acknowledge - simply affirming our feelings and experiences opens a window.

2. Support - rather than saying "let me know if I can do anything" offer to do something. Listening, sharing an affectionate gesture like a hug = love language in action.

3. Keep in Touch - as with "Support," don't wait for your loved one to reach out to you. "We're always here if you need us," however well intentioned, is passive. Be active and engage. A message, note or call demonstrates your concern, and offers tangible support.

In addition to medical treatment, cognitive behavioral therapy helps manage the psychological aspects of mental illnesses. Below are some of the ways I try to mitigate those summer spikes of temperature and temperament.

• Music. When I'm in need of a summer pick-me-up I turn to my favorite '80's songs. Belting Duran Duran or Madonna can be more therapeutic than you might imagine.

  • I keep playlists for a range of moods. When I'm depressed I typically can't listen to upbeat music until I've worked through the fog. Slow movements of classical symphonies, string quartets, and a cappella choral music help me get there. Here's a favorite movement from a composer who also suffered from depression: Edward Elgar's Nimrod from Enigma Variations.
    

• Art. Depending on where I find myself on the spectral curve, Art therapy engages my senses. My soul absorbs the beauty of a seascape, marvels at the brushstrokes. When I'm feeling a bit crazed, I often want that mirrored in my aesthetic choices, so I'll spend time looking at a picture or listening to a piece where unexpected harmonies and dissonant chromatics reveal another kind of beauty.

Sometimes I simply want to soak in color. I have yet to encounter one of Mark Rothko's color-field paintings without crying. Which is itself cathartic and therapeutic. Internal knots need loosening.

• Film. As with music and art, what I screen depends on where I am. Earlier this week I needed a jolt and wanted to watch something vibrant and unpredictable. My brother Mark recommended Saltburn to me, and it was just the sensually subversive film I needed. And let me know if you have as much of a crush on Barry Keoghan as I do after watching the film. Don't say I didn't warn you...
  

• Laugh. The opposite of crying can be just as therapeutic (they are sometimes indistinguishable). Revisit a favorite comedy. Try a recommendation. Stream a stand-up act. Ask a funny friend to share some humor in whichever format you'd prefer.
  

Other ways into cathartic comedy may be utterly personal. Free-style dancing or posing for pretend photo shoots (with or without Rodin sculptures as background).

• Socializing. As a performer, I try to leave it all on the stage. Larger-than-life extraversion is required. For us introverts, decompression time is essential. It's too easy for me to retreat into a solitary space and prolong the decompression to mask the fear. Hanging out with a select few works for me.
  

• Reading. As with music, film, and art, variety is the spice of life; it sharpens the mind.

  • Fiction. Why read just one novel at a time? I love being transported to mythic West Africa, and then laughing out loud at John Kennedy Toole. I love to read.

  • Poetry as lyrical meditation. Regardless of any religious affiliation, there is a Psalm for any occasion. "Oh god, why must global-warming scorch me by day, and nightmares of political ads plague me by night?!?" You can read the originals, too. Find a compelling quote or affirmation, or create your own.
    

• Be creative. Spark your inner-maker and do something new. If you're a musician, try painting. Write whatever comes to your streaming conscious and see where 3 minutes of uncensored expression takes you. You don't have to be rich to be my girl. You don't have to be trained to sing or sculpt to live the benefits of your creativity. Cook. Garden. Craft. A composer friend once gave me wonderfully succinct advice: "Finish one piece." For this prompt all you need to do is start one.
  

• Nature. If you can't get outside and walk, hike, play or simply sit and enjoy nature's incomparable beauty, open an image or add a screensaver. My laptop slides around the universe or the ocean, inviting me to pause. My TV streams photos from around the world. Each slide stay up for 2-3 minutes: short enough for an attention deficit, and long enough to exhale a bit of anxiety before in-spiring.

Fall is my favorite season, and reliving its splendid colors cools my internal thermometer. I'd love to hear what works for you when you're feeling anxious, depressed, afraid, helpless, manic, or worse, having one of summer's "mixed episodes" where you literally feel everything every-where all at once.

[Images, top to bottom: Georg Baselitz, "Vermilion"; Medieval Chansonnier; John Dowland, Partbook score; Arcimboldo, "Fire"; Rothko, "Orange-Red"; Laurence Fishburn in The Matrix; Unknown subject; Jerusalem Synagogue, Prague; "Phantom Suns"; Highland Park, Roanoke]