My bipolar depression episode has ended. It was three weeks and it was a humdinger. Here is a picture of a humdinger. I can’t stress enough that the BEST thing about bipolar disorder is that it’s an episodic illness. Episodes end. Every day I would wake up and say,
“This is the day I get out of this horrific episode.”
Eventually it worked.
I spent at least four to five hours a day working on bipolar disorder management tools I know have worked in the past. Especially the strategies in Get it Done When You’re Depressed.
You can get better. Your loved one can get better. Your client can get better. My depressions used to last for years. They now last weeks at the most.
Think of reducing the length of your mood swings as a goal. This helps me find success.
Julie
Just what I needed to hear today as I am in the middle of an episode. You are right that the episodes get shorter as you learn to manage them, but I needed that reminder today. I forget so easily and I believe that every episode is going to last forever. My psychiatrist calls it ‘bipolar memory’. I am laying low until it passes and thanks to this post of yours, I am reassured that it will pass!
Robbed: The title to a book I will one day write about the years of un-diagnosed bi polar mania and the eventual crash that led to me losing my wife, my family, my career, my years of education, my finances and my identity as I knew it. Suicidal thoughts and a legitimate attempt rendered me helpless and a desire to die after being crushed by 2 semis made me feel disconnected from life. However, mich Ike your recovery from your most recent episode I too have begun to find the sun shining again. Today my ex-wife and I took our kids to their open house for school and we were able to be there for our kids and in a way for each other. I was diagnosed with bi polar in November and I suffer from the symptom of hyper sexuality which is not well understood or wrote about. I hope to change that because some good must come from all of this. So thank you for your bravery and for giving us a voice to spread the courage to live on.