Maintaining relationships while managing bipolar disorder is tough. Here are personal stories, practical advice and tips to make relationships a bit easier.
I have bipolar; my father had bipolar; my mother is a mental health professional. I couldn’t possibly have fallen for any of the myths surrounding bipolar disorder, right? Wrong! Here I identify and debunk the top 10 myths I believed about my diagnosis. I was diagnosed with bipolar 18 years ago. My dad was diagnosed...
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What are you afraid of? What are your limitations? What have you overcome? What makes you powerful? In short: Do you own your story? I am in the process of owning mine. Here is how I’ve made progress so far. “Owning our story can be hard but not nearly as difficult as spending our lives...
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Are you trying to make the decision to disclose? First assess—and address—your own opinion about bipolar disorder. Your feelings about bipolar affect how and when you tell a potential partner. Note from the Author: This blog is about sharing a bipolar diagnosis with a new love. Although I talk about my experiences telling people about...
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Having bipolar can rock your world, but take heart—there are some pros to all the cons. A diagnosis of bipolar disorder is a tough pill to swallow. From pharmaceutical decisions to disclosure decisions, it can become a crippling time of anxiety, frustration, and upheaval. That feeling of brokenness can be hard to shake, but remembering...
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Do you tremble when it’s your turn to talk? Do you avoid public speaking at all costs? And do you feel like that fear is holding you back? I sure did. Here I share my story of leaving my comfort zone and finding my voice. Sometimes, when we speak, we aren’t communicating effectively. Furthermore, if...
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Anxiety can take your breath away and make even the smallest of tasks feel impossible. How can you try to make a living when bipolar anxiety is stealing your every breath? I have found four strategies that help me keep anxiety at bay and keep the income flowing. Anxiety is so debilitating. I can work...
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They say that life has its seasons—and that everything can change in an instant. I despise change. When a sudden, painful event tried my strength and tested my faith earlier this year, I turned to my support network to find my way through the storm. There is a song called “Turn! Turn! Turn!” by the...
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There is a significant difference between being irresponsibly impulsive and being adventurous. On the outside, they look the same. To tell the difference, I take time to reflect, recruit someone I trust, and listen to my heart. We often hear about bipolar disorder and how it can result in impulsive shopping, but what about other...
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We hear the people around us, but do we really listen? Developing effective listening skills boosts our relationships and wellbeing—and maintains our personal power. The goal of this series, Taking Yourself On, is to find success in making positive change. When we are taking on our flaws, it is just as important that we cultivate...
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In order to pursue being a ‘know-it-all’, we have to sacrifice self-acceptance and perpetuate perfectionism which, in the grand scheme of things, prevents us from being our true, authentic selves. People may or may not recognize this, but being a ‘Know-It-All’ is actually a character flaw. We think it is something impressive, something necessary and...
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We don’t need our own thinking being ruled by outside influences––whether that be friends, family, or coworkers. It’s time we let go of our need for outside validation, and find it within ourselves instead. We live in a world that cares too much about what others think. We are sometimes more concerned with other people’s...
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Having bipolar disorder does not mean that you are incapable of being a loving, supportive, and kind mother. But it does mean that you need to proactively prioritize physical and mental wellbeing. All moms must be unbalanced to one extent or another. After all, if committing to decades of, in the words of author Elizabeth...
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If you think it is impossible to earn a degree with a diagnosis of bipolar, you are wrong. Wherever there is a will, there is always a way. I have always wanted to do one thing with my life: be an elementary school teacher. When I was 19 years old I was diagnosed with bipolar...
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For so many years, I felt like I got a bum rap in having an alcoholic Dad. But now that I know he was living with bipolar disorder––as I am––I feel softer and more human about it. There was never a dull moment growing up with my Dad. He played records of all different types...
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Friendships require cultivation and cooperation to thrive. But when one friend also has to cope with a mood disorder, things can be even more complicated. “Friends show their love in times of trouble, not in happiness,” ancient Greek poet Euripides once said. What was true in ancient times still holds true today. Our most valuable,...
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Bipolar disorder doesn’t have to be a ‘negative’ in a relationship. It may instead offer profound and meaningful breakthroughs for both partners. There are numerous articles that point to partners who have bipolar disorder as having tendencies toward infidelity, or anger outbursts, but readers need to realize that not every person with bipolar disorder will...
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People living with bipolar need to take charge of their own personal power to self-validate––and NOT seek validation from others by people pleasing. In order to make positive changes, we need to really recognize and identify where our behaviors don’t serve us. If we don’t acquire the self-awareness and desire to change these ways, we...
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The decision to disclose your diagnosis of bipolar disorder is very difficult. Here is everything you need to know before you go public. Coming out is hard to do, but it may be the best thing for you. I stayed “closeted” about my mental health condition for over ten years, but my bipolar and the...
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If people can’t love and accept you for who you are–bipolar disorder diagnosis and all–then they are not the kind of people you need in your life. When I was diagnosed with bipolar disorder my family was at a loss of what to do. No one in our immediate family has lived with any mental...
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A willingness to stand firm in the face of less-than-ideal circumstances is required of everyone involved in serious relationships. It’s 11:30 p.m. on a Friday night. I have bipolar disorder and took my medication more than an hour ago. I’m angry, upset and can’t sleep! My partner, who is also diagnosed as bipolar, and I...
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