What’s your advice for living with bipolar? Or to someone living with someone with bipolar? We are all in this bipolar life together, so let’s help each other out!
I’ll start. Seek professional help, and don’t stop until you find a doctor you really trust.
Can’t wait to hear all of your advice!
Don’t sit around waiting for the next episode. Live your life now.
Yes! Such great advice. It’s so easy to let bipolar hold our true selves back in fear of the next episode. Thank you!
I like to remind myself that just because others don’t think like I do, it’s really not their fault. So I try to have just a little bit more patience with them. We can’t all be as special as those of us with bipolar.
Haha, so true, we all can’t be so special 😉 but also such a great reminder to respond to everyone with acceptance, kindness, and respect. Thank you!
I just learned this. I went manic and almost left my 37 year old marriage because for 5 months I wanted him to feel as I did. He could not. He’s not bipolar.
I’m on my med again, thank goodness and balanced, somewhat. Relieved my marriage survived AGAIN.
Take your meds. Just shut up and take your meds. Take your fucking meds…
I say all of this gently and with a great deal of love and concern…but I mean it. Lol
Have a sense of humor…and take your meds.
You’re funny, and so right. A sense of humor (and once again) taking your meds are so important! Thank you!
amen to that
Lori, Agree. 👏👏👏
Finding acceptance that I have Bipolar was the most difficult to living with it. I found that having a healthy respect of the disease has helped me to learn as much as I can about Bipolar so that I can acknowledge what is me, and what is the Bipolar. Self education has enriched my life about Bipolar, giving me empowerment on how to manage my mental illness (some days are less manageable than others). My daily mantra is… Bipolar does not have me, I have Bipolar.
I love that you mentioned having a healthy respect for bipolar. It’s not only acceptance but it also implies not fighting with the bipolar. The acceptance of bipolar can help us in more ways than we know. It helps us to be more at peace with our lives, I believe. Thanks so much for your input!
As a newly diagnosed Bipolar 2 the best advice I can offer is not to lock yourself away for fear that you’re brokenness will drive everyone from you. This is just a new chapter of your life, not the end of the book.
Hi, I did research and ı found this blog. I hope someone can help me about my sadness. I have a boyfriend and ı think he’s bipolar because he first said that ı am bipolar to me after a while he said that he was just kidding. However, ı can see the symptoms that he has. He suddenly become angry to me and everyone, everything. He swear me and use very bad, offending words when he is angry. He always try to fix me, change my chracteristics, behaviours. He never likes anything about me. He sometimes say that ı Need go to an psychiatrist and after he feels Good and he gave up. Also, he never accept his illness. When he is aggressive he can apply physical violance. I love him so much, ı know he too. But, ı am so desperate and sad that ı cannot find anyway. Maybe someone can help me or Show me a Way to solve our problems. Thank u ..
Hello, first know that I am not a doctor or trained counselor. With that said I think that with the problems you have presented it would be best for you to go speak with a trained counselor yourself. I don’t believe that tearing someone down mentally and emotionally is ever an ok thing. And physical abuse is most definitely unacceptable as well. With the serious nature of your post, I truly feel unqualified to offer substantial advice other than to seek professional help to help yourself. I truly wish you all the best. Much love.
I admire, even envy, your ability to be open about your bipolar diagnosis. And you do it in a way that makes it understandable, almost “normal.” You are doing a great service. At times I wish I could tell my story. But some professions and lifestyles are more accepting than others. It would ruin my career and financially devastate my family if I were to open up about my diagnosis. And so I hold it together the best I can, discreetly rearrange my schedule when I need to, and suffer privately. Sadly, there still is a stigma associated with the condition. I hate it. It’s been 18 years since I was diagnosed (and 35 since I first experienced symptoms), and I still haven’t made peace with it.
Well thank you very much for your kind words. I cannot say that it is always easy for me to be as open as I am, but I figure it is better that I am my authentic self. Something about not telling my friends and family made me feel like I was living a lie. Always having to say I couldn’t do something for this, that, or another reason. I felt that deep down inside of me I wanted to be loved for exactly who I am, bipolar or not. I weighed all possible consequences and came to the conclusion that ultimately my happiness would lie in my authenticity and not being ashamed. May I ask why you feel being open about your diagnosis would cause you financial devestation?
I’m an attorney, legal counsel to several public agencies. My income is dependent on my clients trusting my capabilities and dependability 100%. If my diagnosis were known, clients would choose other legal counsel (because I’m a risk), colleagues would redirect projects, and competitors would use the information to their advantage. How I’ve managed to have this career at all is pretty amazing. Fortunately, I’ve been able to have part-time, flex-time, and telecommuting arrangements with my firm over the years (using family demands as the reason), and have been able to shift work to, and get help from, other attorneys in the firm as needed without anyone knowing why. It has been extremely difficult holding it together, but overall I feel fortunate. It has given me some stability (with flexibility), a good income, and decent health insurance. As a side note, I’m quite certain I never would have accomplished as much academically or professionally without long periods of hypomanic energy and focus. My “illness” has served me well in that regard. It’s the ultra-extremes that can be debilitating. And most days are just exhausting for me. I start work before dawn and crash when I get home, often after dinner time. My husband has to take care of the kids and house stuff during the weekdays. It’s not an ideal situation, but it’s the best I’ve been able to come up with.
After I read your first post I figured you were probably either a doctor or attorney. It makes complete sense why you would choose not to disclose your diagnosis. Hey, maybe you could become an attorney who defends mental health discrimination cases! Then your bipolar could be an asset!? 😉 Truly though, I very much respect what you do. It takes an incredibly large amount of drive, strength, and determination to do what you do with bipolar. On the flip side of not disclosing a bipolar diagnosis, I am in the opposite situation. I have been a stay-at-home mom for nine years, and have not been employed. Once my youngest is in school full time I will beed to re-enter the workforce. The first thing people see when my name is Googled is my SoBipolar blog. What do you think the chances are of me getting hired? Probably not good considering the general public still has a very negative view of bipolar. I certainly hope that I am surprised by that not being the case, but I regretfully doubt it. Ultimately I think I am going to be self employed. I guess I will know soon enough!
Bella, I applaud you. I too was a Manager for 23 years, married having and raising 5 kids. I thought I just had real highs and lows until about 10 years ago when I had a bad breakdown and was finally diagnosed. It runs strong in my extended family.
It is hard, but doable. Good for you.
I completely understand why you live in silence.