Hi Crabby, I've only just found this thread and want to say hi to you. I'm glad you got through Christmas. I did too. But I'm a bit sick of Christmas being something we have to 'get through'. I think I'll make Christmas optional next year.
I see you mentioned researching bipolar disorder. I agree with James that it's best to leave the diagnosing to the pros, but I also think it's good to be informed. So long as you're reading reputable resources, learning is never wasted. Just don't self-diagnose.
By the way, I'm bipolar. And I have my own normality (sometimes my own reality) which is fine by me now that I've accepted it. Personally I think normal is a useless word. No-one's normality is the same as anyone else's. And honestly, I see some 'marketing' type images of 'normal' - like all the sugary-sweet perfect families on the Christmas ads - and I feel a bit ill. I don't want their normal.
I'm more at home with people who are a bit off-beat. Intelligent, kind, funny, creative, caring people who think about stuff, speak their minds, challenge beliefs, don't conform for conformity's sake, and just be themselves. In many places, especially the more conservative small towns, I wouldn't be 'normal' either. Thank god.
Be who you are, that's enough.
Hope you keep talking here, I'd like to get to know you.
Cheers
Kaz
