Author Archives
Samantha Steiner is the author of the new book, "My Bipolar Mind: You're not alone," which is now available on Amazon. She is also a freelance writer, blogger, and mental health advocate who runs and manages her own mental health blog, MyBipolarMind.com.
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I’m Doing The Best I Can
On August 4, 2019, I turned 33-years-old. I created so many different blog posts since my birthday but all kinds of different craziness would happen and I would delete the post and start fresh with more to talk about. To be honest, I will even be amazed if I finish this post. Sometimes I feel like my life could be a Lifetime movie. Does anyone else ever feel like that or is it just me?
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Good Morning: July 29, 2019
I feel like I have been neglecting my blog… and I guess I pretty much have been. I have been up and down and have had some med changes since the last time I wrote. I am at a place where I am unsure where I am at mentally. Some days I am great, while other days I am not so great. But I am surviving and that is all that really matters anymore, right?
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Feeling Good Today
I didn’t think it was possible after my breakup, but I am in such a great mood today. I feel happy and that feels foreign in a way yet very great.
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C’est la vie (That’s Life)
C’est la vie! I can’t control the cards that I have been dealt, just like I can’t control how other people act or think. I am trying to make the best of a bad situation. The best of a few bad situations, actually. Sometimes I feel like it’s one blow after another. I am doing the best that I can with what I have and I am finally okay with not being okay most days…
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Done With The Chaos: Happy & Free
My life is a complete mess right now. My 7-year relationship just came to an end a few days ago. Sometimes I am hurting a lot, other times I feel completely happy and free.
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Suicide Awareness & Prevention : Learn The Signs That Can Help You Save A Life
Suicide Awareness & Prevention is something that I am passionate about. I understand how it feels to want to give up and end it all when you can’t take the pain any longer; I am a suicide attempt survivor. I shouldn’t be here today, but I am glad that I am despite the obstacles and challenges that I still face in my everyday life. I would have missed so much if I had succeeded. I understand how hard life can be sometimes. If I can pull through, so can anyone else who is going through it right now. Just know that YOU ARE NOT ALONE. YOU ARE NOT A BURDEN. YOU ARE LOVED.
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Toxic Positivity: What Is It?
Photo by Jules D. on Unsplash Toxic Positivity: What Is It? Toxic positivity is, in a sense, pushing for someone to change their current mental state by telling them things like, “You’ll get over it,” or even, “Just be positive!” Little phrases like… Read More ›
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Insomnia, Anxiety & Me
“Roughly 60 Million Americans are affected by [a] sleep disorder every year,” and I am one of them – as some of you may already know. Some night I have issues with insomnia, other nights my sleep is completely broken and restless. It is not very often that I actually get a good night’s sleep, regardless of how long I am lying in my bed for. I could be lying in bed for 12 hours and yet only get 4-5 hours of solid sleep. I even have a prescription medication that I take every night (almost) faithfully.
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🌈Happy PRIDE Month 2019!🌈
With yesterday, June 1st, 2019, kicking off Pride month I figured now was a better time than ever to create this post and let it all out there!
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STEM Hobbies Kids Really Love
While school should always be your child’s top priority, it is also important for your little ones to have extracurricular interests and hobbies in their free time. Hobbies expand your child’s world and build self-esteem. They help kids become more empathetic and well-rounded while increasing their social circle beyond their peers at school. Kids who have hobbies also tend to be less stressed and do better in school.
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Woke Up On The Wrong Side Of The Bed
Have you ever woke up and just felt like it was going to be a bad day?
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My B&N Event Went Well
My Barnes & Noble signing event went really well. I had so many loved ones come out to show some and love support, and I met some new really amazing people within my community as well.
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Yesterday Was F-ing Insane
There is no real way for me to perfectly explain how f-ing insane last night was for me, my bestie, Jazmine, my Goddaughter, Ally, and my boyfriend.
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What Does Mental Illness Look Like?
According to MentalHealthAmerica.net, about 54 million Americans suffer from some type of mental illness in a given year. With over 200 types of classified mental illnesses, that number can expect to rise. Yet many people cannot recognize mental illness in other people, let alone themselves. Having a mental illness is nothing to be ashamed of, it is just how your brain is wired and it doesn’t make you any less of a person.
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Hello, Mania!
Hello, Mania! I am a bit on the manic said and it is the good kind of mania with the wonderful euphoria. I feel excellent right now. I don’t ever want to lose this feeling, but I know it is… Read More ›
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Sober People Don’t Go To Rehab, Karen
I had to give up on someone, we’ll call her Karen, for pretty much the first time in my life. Like completely give up, walk away, and wash my hands of her. I had to learn the hard way that I can’t help and save everyone. You can’t save someone who doesn’t want to be saved or isn’t ready to receive the help yet.
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What Goes Up, Must Come Down
What goes up, must come down can easily define Bipolar Disorder. Meaning, after every high — or manic episode — a low is sure to follow.
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Why Am I Still Awake? Insomnia!
I’m exhausted, but I can’t sleep. I am in so much physical pain that sleep should come easy, but it’s not. Insomnia has its grungy hands all over me and it’s refusing to let go. It probably doesn’t help the situation any that I finally remembered to take my nighttime meds around 1:45-2am.
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My Bipolar Mind: You’re not alone is NOW AVAILABLE at The Barnes & Noble In Whitehall, PA
Just a quick note: To my surprise, I just recently learned that my book, My Bipolar Mind: You’re not alone, is now officially available at a local Barnes & Noble book store near me! I knew they sold it on their website, but not at the actual branch in Whitehall, PA! If you are from or are familiar with the area, it is at the one inside the Lehigh Valley Mall shopping center. This is so exciting!
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Late Night Thoughts: May 6th, 2019 🤔
So, random thought from last night… I was working on a blog post — that I never finished — and it was titled “3am Thoughts,” and I couldn’t figure out what time “late night” transitioned into “early morning” so I settled on just saying “3am.” I probably spent way too much time being consumed by this question than I should have. And I didn’t necessarily feel like resorting to using Google to solve yet another debate for me. If you think that this a strange thing to be consumed by, you would not want to know about the rest of the crap that gets stuck inside my head!
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Losing a Parent as a Young Adult
It doesn’t matter how old you are when you lose a parent because it will always be difficult to live in a world without them.
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Early Morning Thoughts: April 27th, 2019
It is a little after 5 in the morning and I have been up for some time now. I went to bed around 9 pm and woke up at 2 am. Shortly after I finally fell back to sleep, I woke up around 3 am with a muscle cramp in my leg, also known as a “Charlie Horse.” Those are always fun, right? And I have been up ever since.
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Happy Easter 🐰 2019
I want to wish everyone a Happy Easter! If you celebrate, I hope that you are able to spend some time with your loved ones. To those of you who are spending the holiday solo, that is okay too, but always remember that you are loved and that there is nothing wrong with being alone on the holidays. Spend the entire day doing the things that you love – choirs can wait until tomorrow.
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Happy Thursday: April 18th, 2019
The past couple of days, I have been feeling pretty good despite any obstacles and challenges that have been thrown my way. Yesterday, April 17th, was my grandmother’s birthday. She sadly passed away in 2012 and we were incredibly close. But instead of breaking down over it, because some wounds seem to fully disappear, I thought about how she would always say, “Are you my Sammy?” and I would always respond with, “Yep. Are you my Grammy?” And it made me smile. What I wouldn’t give to hear her say that to me one last time…
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[TW] There Is Hope
This post contains some things that may trigger certain people. I am issuing a trigger warning for self-harm and suicidal ideation. Please use caution when reading. If you feel you may be triggered by these things do not read past here. Thank you.
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Child-Proof Your Yard – Four Tips for Outdoor Safety
According to the CDC, 8,000 children a day are taken to emergency rooms due to fall-related injuries. Many of these happen at home, particularly in the summer months when windows are open and children play outside. However, falls are not the only risk in the backyard – pests, infections, and standing water can also be issues. If your children are eager to get outside to enjoy the season, here are four tips that will help you childproof your backyard.
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Trying To Be Optimistic While Feeling Pessimistic
It is hard to really decipher how I am feeling. I’m up and down, high and low. If someone were to ask me how I was feeling, I would probably have to shrug my shoulders and then laugh and cry at the same time. I am trying to look at things from an optimistic viewpoint while feeling pessimistic and unsure about almost everything in life. I keep wondering if I am good enough… at anything.
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Anxiety Fueled
I have been filled with an excessive amount of anxiety since about 11:30 am yesterday. Jasper had gotten his head caught in between two metal bars under our recliner while he was hiding from two of my Godson’s. Thank God my best friend, Jazmine, was here too because she ended up being the one to save my poor kitty’s life.
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Keeping Myself Entertained
Keeping Myself Entertained It has been a very long week for me that has been filled with more lows than highs. Today marks one week since Buddy tragically passed away, and tomorrow makes it one week since Jasper came to… Read More ›
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Meet Jasper
I love and adore my best friend, Jazmine. She did something that made me feel a little bit better. I cried almost 24 hours when Buddy tragically passed away. I was in such a haze and shock that I honestly don’t remember everything I wrote in my last post, So Heartbroken. I am still too heartbroken to go back and even try to read it. But my best friend showed up Friday night with a little – adorable – surprise for me.
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So Heartbroken
Last night was horrible for me. I think I am still in shock and traumatized. My cat died last night. I heard a crash in the bathroom and happened to be right outside the door and when I looked in I seen my cat fall and snap his neck then fall over. I was the last thing Buddy seen before he died. I am so, so heartbroken right now. I have been crying since last night. I can’t even tell you what time it happened because when I saw what happened time stopped for me.
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Feeling A Little Crazy
I apologize for not posting much lately. I have been keeping myself busy with writing for different sites and blogs. I also haven’t been blogging because I don’t really want to talk about how I feel right now. This feeling is completely new to me. I have never gotten to the point where I just don’t want to talk about what is really going on inside my head. I am going to try to open up a little, but it is giving me a lot of anxiety.
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Before The Sun Rises
Image Credit: Unsplash Before The Sun Rises At this very moment, it is almost 5 in the morning. I woke up about 30 minutes ago and haven’t been able to go back to sleep. I figured now is a great… Read More ›
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Sunshine Blogger Award
I was nominated for the Sunshine Blogger Award!
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Self-Injury Awareness Day 2019
These days, it seems as if most people from their preteens on up have heard of self-harm or may even know someone who purposely hurts their self. Self-injury can now be found on TV, in movies, books, and all over the web. There is much more information about this aspect of mental health than there was 20 years ago; when I first started using self-injury as a coping mechanism. That’s right, I am one of the 1 in 5 females who self-harm. For males, 1 out of every 7 has turned to this as well. In the US, there is an estimate of two million people who reportedly self-harm every year. (Continue Reading)