It is such an amazing experience to hold space for another on their healing journey, while reflecting on how my own can guide them. Another coaching session with a client today reminded me that subtle action amidst the ocean of things we cannot change is often more powerful than we think. As I slowly grow in my new consulting business, I am in awe of the progress I’ve made in learning to live well with a serious mood disorder. I now have a deep appreciation of the richness th

It’s been a few weeks with my head deep in computer-land, focusing on designing my new business website. As I come up for air, I’ve noticed the theme throughout this process has been one of integrity. Without knowing, this notion of transparent honesty has popped up in all spheres of my life, starting with my messaging on joelleperras.com . I took on the challenge of building my own site and quickly woke to the reality that these web pages would carry my values and beliefs i

I love this time of year. I‘ve just completed my yearly ritual of beginning January: I spend a few days in retreat reviewing the previous year‘s successes, struggles and challenges. Then I meditate on what my soul desires for the year ahead, establishing my goals and dreams. And finish it off with my “word of the year” that will guide me through the fog on difficult days. This ritual has become a pillar in my mental health practice and management of Bipolar Disorder; it allow

March 7th, 2025 It is true that where our focus goes, energy will flow. Whatever I fill my mind with (or whatever thoughts I let my mind obsess about) is what I will feel and manifest. So knowing that, I want to focus on optimism: a hopeful and positive attitude toward my future. This practice is one of my key tools to self-manage my bipolar mood swings and the distorted thoughts that come along with it. To be honest, having an optimistic attitude toward life is not something

I've been thinking a lot about joy lately, what it means to me, what it looks and feels like, and more importantly what place I give it in my life. I spent most of my life until my mid-30s trying to control the outcome of things because I was in such fear of the unknown, especially because of living with an undiagnosed bipolar mood disorder. This led me to fearing joy because I associated this feeling of bliss with uncontrollable impulsivity related to hypomania. This hypoman

I am everything I believe about myself. So I better believe something good… because if I don’t, I will manifest it to happen anyway. I started experiencing severe mood shifts at the tender age of 12 years old. I remember hearing my dad talk about how I could make myself feel good or bad with my thoughts, which would then become my beliefs. I thought it was too easy… How could the simple change in my thoughts guide such a radical experience in my emotions and how I perceive th

I'm becoming particularly apt at noticing the stress triggers for a bipolar episode or any mood dysregulation. One of those things is the old stories I tell myself and how old triggers from past traumas can swing me out of sorts immediately. The tool that has allowed me to become aware of that link is my mood tracker (or mood chart). I also like to call it my “face-the-facts chart”. Mood tracking is a simple daily observation tool that has changed my life and created space fo

The most difficult thing I do on a daily basis is changing my thoughts . My depressive self-talk. It wasn’t admitting I had a substance abuse problem or getting sober. Or healing past traumas. Or grieving tragic losses. In order for those positive shifts to happen in my life I first had to choose to think differently. I had to see things from a different perspective and change the way I speak to myself. That was, and is, the basis for how I change and move through life. When