Articles and blog posts relating to the possible benefits of including faith and spirituality in your bipolar recovery plan.
Finding a support group can be difficult, let alone one that fits your personality. It’s still worth it though to check out local resources. Since my diagnosis of bipolar disorder in 1995, I have always felt that something has been missing. I have attended years of therapy, and have a great deal of family support,...
READ MORE
Mental Health Month is a chance to own your wellness journey, discovering what works best for you and taking pride in your daily wellness quest. By Emily Allen May marks two years since I was last hospitalized. I broke a vicious cycle of bouncing in and out of the hospital and turned a...
READ MORE
This scholar, minister and author of Bipolar Faith: A Black Woman’s Journey with Depression and Faith, talks stigma, faith and the creativity of vegan cooking. By Linda Childers As an author, scholar and minister, Monica A. Coleman, PhD, knows what it’s like to navigate the intersection between race, faith and mental health. The 43-year-old...
READ MORE
Nothing touches the grief of not being able to have children of my own. But as I cope, I am finding acceptance, even joy. By Emily Allen My morning devotional provides me a moment of quiet and food for thought to start my day. This morning, the devotional was on limits—grieving and accepting our...
READ MORE
Two friends, one battling bipolar I and the other battling breast cancer, learn faith and friendship can give them strength during the toughest of times. By Susie Johnson I vividly remember the sweltering July day my best friend, Jackie, called. We’d met at church and been friends for ten years. Jackie was in...
READ MORE
When bipolar disorder seems too tough to navigate alone, faith can help provide lasting support. by Susan Johnson Living with bipolar disorder is like a perpetual roller coaster. It’s too hard a journey to make alone. You “Gotta Have Faith, Faith, Faith!” George Michael sang it best in his ’80s song “Faith.” Looking back...
READ MORE
It is natural to feel emotional and sad while grieving, but also remember to be cognizant of your bipolar disorder to avoid the destabilization of your mood. This post is dedicated to my Dad, David J. Hoefs My dad passed away on May 12th of this year (2017). He was the first person I knew...
READ MORE
Accepting the validity of both spiritual and clinical components of a mental health condition and its treatment can make a world of difference. By Melody Moezzi I believe in God and science, prayer and medication, faith and reason. I recognize my bipolar disorder as a sometimes agonizing clinical condition that requires medical treatment, but...
READ MORE
Trigger Warning: If matters of faith trigger you easily, then you will want to skip reading this or at least replaces the references to faith within this post with those things that work best for you.) Hopelessness is serious. Every day people fall into the hopeless hole of hopelessness due to their struggle with a...
READ MORE
The healing power of spirituality & religion may help people with bipolar disorder; here are some reasons why: Source of hope According to psychiatrist Mario Cruz MD, the benefits of spiritual participation for those with bipolar can include: a supportive network of friends and acquaintances, financial and other types of practical support, reinforcement of the...
READ MORE
Please be advised: this post discusses religion. As the year draws to a close I inevitably find myself reflecting back on it. The most amazing thing I experienced this year was the birth of my daughter. I was blessed with a very healthy and happy pregnancy, and now with a very healthy and happy baby...
READ MORE
If matters of faith trigger you or you find them offensive, then this post is one you will want to skip. Life can be difficult. No one makes it through life without painful trials and tribulations. And there is no doubt that having bipolar disorder on top of all of the typical trials and...
READ MORE
I have lived with mental illness my entire life. Of course, at five years old I didn’t know I had any disorders, I just knew that I had to have my room in order, with my toys arranged just so…or something bad would happen. As I got older, the rituals became more pronounced, more uncomfortable,...
READ MORE
Let me ask a simple question: Why, if there is a God, would He/She allow something as tortuous and destructive as bipolar disorder to exist? That’s a question I ask myself almost every day. How could a loving God knowingly allow humans, who are trying their best to survive, a disorder that tries it’s best...
READ MORE
I was raised a catholic. My parents were catholic, their parents were catholic, all my neighbors and most of my friends were catholic. As a youth I was active in the church. I attended church on Sundays, sang in the church children’s choir and completed all my sacraments. It was just the way it was....
READ MORE
Fourteen years ago, I wrote a holiday letter, stuffed copies of it into festive cards, and mailed or passed it around to family and friends. It was the first Christmas post-9/11, and I wanted the words in my note to provide some kind of soothing to folks, and to offer a larger message of hope...
READ MORE
Believe it or not, I read the comments that are written each time that I do a blog post. Usually they are encouraging and insightful (sometimes humorous) comments. However, there have been some comments that have surprised me. The surprising comments have made me realize that it might do it us good to talk about...
READ MORE
When I learned that Saturday, May 2nd, is Global Hope Day, as designated by the International Foundation for Research and Education on Depression, I felt extremely inspired to share a very personal piece of my bipolar journey with you. No matter how many times I share my personal story, each time, I feel that I...
READ MORE
I AM BIPOLAR and I wouldn’t change it for the world. I don’t know life any different. What would life be like if I wasn’t bipolar? By Keith O’Neil “To keep me from becoming conceited … there was given me a thorn in my flesh, a messenger of Satan, to torment me. Three times...
READ MORE
Although stigma surrounding bipolar disorder’s psychotic episodes remains, there is NO shame in admitting that you have experienced one. Very few people admit to having a psychotic break due to the fear that people will judge them harshly and consider them to be unpredictable and dangerous. This looming stigma caused me great fear, and...
READ MORE
