Living with Bipolar Disorder

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What does acceptance of a bipolar diagnosis look like? What does it feel like? Turns out, it’s a lot like getting to know a new horse. What Is Bipolar Acceptance? There isn’t a trophy for achieving bipolar acceptance. There isn’t a list of requirements, a deadline, or a competition. But still, many of us see...

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With bipolar, sometimes we need to rewrite the “rules” of life and follow our own timelines instead of others’ newsfeeds and social media stories. Over the years, I’ve learned something very important about living with bipolar disorder: never compare yourself to others. It’s just about the easiest thing in the world to do, especially with...

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Having a strictly structured life may sound boring, but maintaining regular times for activities has a powerful effect on bipolar stability. Here’s how to handle routine disruptions. Ask the Doctor: What’s the Big Deal about Daily Routines? Overall, routine is the daily groove of activities that broadly make up the answer to, “Tell me about...

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RECOVERY IS NOT A DESTINATION. Recovery is a live organism. Recovery is radical acceptance of this illness. Recovery is brutal and leaves bruises. Recovery means choosing to breathe when my brain chooses suffocation. Recovery is knowing that the cyclical nature of this disease will bring me to the depths of my soul, knowing that my...

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Don’t sell yourself short by equating success with zero symptoms. What matters is living your best life, even if that means rethinking your goals. Wouldn’t life be simply divine if you received your bipolar diagnosis after your very first brush with depression or hypomania, started on the proper medication immediately, and never had to experience...

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There are some lifestyle practices and daily habits for bipolar disorder that help me manage my symptoms so much, I would never give them up. What “Works” Best for My Bipolar There are many different wellness practices that can improve life with bipolar, and it can be difficult to know which lifestyle changes are most...

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When the routine I relied on for years changed suddenly, I found myself with new questions—and opportunities—for how I really wanted to spend my days. Routines & Bipolar Disorder Everyone talks about how important routines are when you live with bipolar disorder. This is because routines often keep us away from unpleasant emotions, such as...

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Bipolar, Fear, & Storytelling We are all storytellers. We forge stories in our imaginations. And it is in fear that we create our most elaborate tales. As an Alaskan outdoorswoman, I have spent many nights camping in the wildest places of the north, where grizzly bears, wolves, and other animals roam in the evenings. When...

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When we are dealing with a mood disorder, simplistic, superficial comments—however well intended—can diminish the dedication required to deal with a difficult diagnosis. People often make comments to me such as: I thought you’d dealt with that. Or: You mean you still get depressed? My reply is that living with bipolar is still a big...

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I learned long ago, when you have bipolar, you cannot tell everyone—and, much of the time, you cannot tell anyone. To keep the day going, I mask my struggles with a smile. I leaned to the left in the photograph, laughing as I held a puppy on the bow of a green riverboat. I was...

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The negative thoughts from bipolar make it difficult to feel thankful. Here’s some practical advice to insert positivity into the equation. Bipolar Disorder & Negative Thinking When we live with the negative thinking that comes from bipolar—and, worse, that we can’t always control—feeling and being thankful can sometimes seem out of reach. But there are...

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When Eliese Colette Goldback worked in a steel mill in Cleveland, the overtime and irregular hours affected her sleep and mood. But it was there that she grew stronger, built confidence, and forged friendships that helped her find stability. Eliese Colette Goldbach, 34, has won several literary awards. She’s a college professor in her native...

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Did getting a bipolar diagnosis change your sense of self and how you relate to the world? If so, how? ONCE I REALIZED that I wasn’t going to allow bipolar to define me, I changed my actions in the world. It took a lot before my acceptance of myself: the usual substance abuse, an abusive...

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Psychiatric disorders have high “heritability.” Can you trace bipolar or other mental health conditions in your family tree? MY HUSBAND WAS diagnosed with bipolar II disorder about four years ago. After dealing with his illness at its worst, I can see the connection to almost half his family members across three generations. Behaviors include compulsive...

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When you find yourself acting as your own worst enemy what does this look like? What strategies help you tame this self-sabotaging behavior? I HAVE LONG BEEN my own worst enemy! Self-sabotage is what I do best! When things are going too good, there is a voice which awakens and that proclaims that I am...

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Facing heightened anti-Asian discrimination, I continue to work at softening my triggers while navigating a lifelong journey of being considered “different” for my ethnicity and, sometimes, an “outcast” for my bipolar. Early Experiences of Racism & Feeling Like an Outcast When I was five years old, I remember riding the bus to kindergarten. There were...

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“I called my doctor the next day and said, ‘I think I have bipolar disorder.’” —Joshua Shutkind, a dancer with the Salt Lake City-based company Ballet West who recognized his symptoms from an episode of the Amazon series Modern Love about a woman with bipolar, portrayed by Anne Hathaway. The show was based on the...

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In response to the pandemic, a “Brave” new world was created to continue to reach and empower those with bipolar and other psychiatric conditions. DISTANCE LEARNING: Houston’s This Is My Brave production, originally scheduled for May 2020, was filmed live and streamed online in October. What does a mental health group centered on stage performances...

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At last, I’ve figured out how to run my life so my bipolar doesn’t run me. Learning to craft my own self-care system was critical. Stability Takes Time I am a 49-year-old woman who has lived with bipolar since her diagnosis 17 years ago, and who has finally gained some insight, understanding, and stability—after many...

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Don’t let bipolar stop you from living your life. With planning, personal effort, and enough support, you can achieve your goals. Plus, meet my surprise guest! If video is not showing, click here Today, I would like to discuss the topic “Achieving Goals and/or Rising to the Occasion of Challenges,” which is the longest title,...