Bi Polar Pipe Smoker
Hey everyone! So, I started this little video that will appear as a recurring series where I talk about things involving mental illness and how someone lives with it. This wasn't scripted and I just did it on the fly in the last 24 hours. I appreciate you taking the time to watch.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A52qo0GxZ7U
Comments
@ocpunk714 Great job on the video. Can you explain how taking up the pipe smoking hobby has helped you combat your Bi-Polar condition? Or at least make it better.
I was once what's referred to as a Type A personality and had a very short fuse. Certain people had the power to send me from 0 to 100 with just the right words. They played me like a fiddle and knew full well what they were doing. So it took a great deal of self control on my part to defuse the situation by no longer allowing them to get my goat. And as a result they grew bored with trying to set me off once they realize I wasn't taking the bait. Yet even though I was able to mask my rage and maintain a cool façade on the outside, my pent up emotions were on the verge of erupting like Mt. Vesuvius. This caused my blood pressure to skyrocket along with cluster migraine headaches. I no longer had an emergency 'relief valve' to let off the steam.
And that's when I discovered the mental healing power of the pipe. I had been smoking for decades even then, but my smoking style was a reflection of that inner turmoil. I'd be puffing like a steam locomotive and the tongue bite would be awful. Why I continued smoking I'll never understand. I derived little pleasure from it ... but it was the perfect tool for fidgety hands. It was only after retiring that I learned to appreciate the calming meditative effect of pipe smoking. And even though the work related pressures had been removed, life still presented me with a variety of obstacles to trigger those nasty Type A personality traits. The transition of working a full time job with a regular paycheck to adjusting to the financial constraints of living on a monthly fixed income presented more problems than I expected. After all, when you have a job and you find yourself with some unexpected expenses, the possibility exists for a little overtime to supplement your income. But when existing on a fixed income, the price of everything around you escalates, and unexpected medical bills begin pilling up ... so it's damn near impossible to maintain that well thought out budget when the bulls-eye keeps moving.
Proper smoking technics helped in bringing down my blood pressure to a manageable level, as well as my ability to cope with stressful situations. I can slow down the thought process, meditate, and ultimately reach a satisfying resolution to what-ever problems life throws my way. Turning what appeared to be a big problems into a manageable small inconvenience. I can't pretend to understand the mechanics of the thing - but those smoky aromatic clouds encircling my head seem to clear out the cobwebs inside. Limiting impulsive knee-jerk reactions to sticky situations, and instead making better decisions through thoughtful contemplation and problem solving. Never thought a chunk of briar and a shredded tobacco leaf could be so therapeutic. I'm not naïve enough to suggest serious health issues can be resolved with a bowl of your favorite blend ... but a good smoke can make for a temporary coping mechanism and help get you through the day.
https://ocpunk-714.tumblr.com/post/173771089965/qa-1-ghostsofpompeii-i-feel-that-pipe-smoking
Through a series of events in my life, I've been diagnosed with clinical depression. Though medication helps, I find that pipe smoking makes me happy and I truly enjoy smoking my pipe. It relaxes me whereas when I smoked cigarettes, it wasn't relaxing at all. It makes me slow down several times a day. For me it's almost like a time of meditation.
Like @ghostsofpompeii, it has helped me control my blood pressure. I did eliminate many stressors in my life. I've gone from four daily B/P meds down to one.
While there may be an argument for the physical dangers of pipe smoking, for me the therapeutic mental benefits outweigh the physical risks.