Reboot

[Dani_e11e]

Hi guys,

This is my first post so am wanting to say a quick gyday and give a rundown on what my brain has been up too lately. I have Bipolar II Disorder and was diagnosed when I was 32, I am now 50. It's been an interesting road to say the least but I am at this moment doing good, I haven't been recently though.

I have just had a change of meds and as we know that comes with a time of what I like to call reboot. This includes dealing with side effects, destressing my life as much as humanly possible, eating well, and getting back to the daily practices that keep me well.

When I am well I practise mindfulness daily, when I stop I know it's a warning sign of a manic episode on it's way. The issue is that when I'm manic I think everything's cool, I'm all good. I think I can take on 100 things and juggle them all like a pro. But sure as, the opposing side of Bipolar will drag me into a depressive ditch with a huge 'Hell no you can't do any of that, or even the small daily stuff that you need to do, just to exist'.

So this depressive episode had me at the ER, then our local Community Mental Health Centre. The Social Worker I have there is honestly amazing. I got to see my Psychiatrist within a week and with a game plan. This included a change of meds, the super important daily routine of meditating, grounding myself, exercising (whether paddling, going to the gym, walking, or yoga); practising mindfulness everyday. 

This reboot has been as drama free as any reboot can be. Some in the past have felt like pushing the proverbial up hill. But every time I choose to stay in the fight. At my very lowest I always choose to stay.

To those doing it tough right now, know that I see you. You are important in this world, and absolutely worth fighting for. Let's collectively look out for each other.

Thanks for reading

D. ❤️😎

[Eagle Ray]

Hello and welcome D 🙂

I just wanted to say what a positive and encouraging post. I really like your idea of the reboot. It's a good way of framing those in between times where we are going through a transitional phase and readjusting.

I can hear you have worked really hard and no doubt you will have really been through a lot. I'm so glad you have some good supports such as the amazing Social Worker. It sounds like you have good strategies ahead that you can consolidate with your Psychiatrist. I can hear how proactive you are. It can be a real struggle can't it, especially that saying in the fight thing, but I can really hear your resilience and spirited self coming through. I've also been struggling at times but have managed to pull through and stay in the fight. In the past year I discovered I have dissociative identity disorder which is quite often misdiagnosed as bipolar because of the changeable states. So although it's a different thing, I relate to the changeability part.

It's really kind of you to wish others well and express how important everyone is and the need for us to collectively look out for each other. I really hope you can feel welcome here. It's lovely to hear from you.

Kind regards,

Eagle Ray

[Eagle Ray]

Hi again Dani_e11e,

It just occurred to me that you might like to know there is a thread for people with Bipolar. I will see if I can link it here:

This Bipolar Life 

I hope that works. If not, it's in the "Long-term support over the journey" section. There's a few people here living with Bipolar, so hopefully you can connect with some of them.