Living with bipolar disorder means getting to know your warning signs, and then taking action before a depressive or manic episode. And it also means that you have to take care of yourself even during the in-between periods. Prioritizing self-care can help you stay your healthiest, which can give you some stability during the ups and downs.
Drowning In The Haze It is almost 3 o’clock in the morning and I am wide awake and once again stuck here overthinking and overanalyzing every little detail of my life. I think about the things I could have done or said differently in specific situations if given […]
If I could pick one thing I hated about myself it would have to be my anxiety…
Feeling Empty Other than feeling empty inside, I am not quite sure how I am feeling. The pregnancy was definitely ectopic and stuck in my right fallopian tube. I went to the ER on the 1st of February because I was having extreme abdominal pain. Plus, I started […]
Lately I have been feeling so up and down that it’s almost like a baseline doesn’t exist for me anymore. I am either manic or depressed; there is no in between.
Today, we reached 800+ Facebook followers on our My Bipolar Mind page! That is amazing to me. I never even anticipated having more than one single follower when I first created this blog a few years ago.
Christmas time can be joyful yet incredibly stressful and nervewracking at the same time for anyone, but especially for people who have mental health disorders! Being around too many people — even your loved ones — for too long can be anxiety-producing.
Sleep has eluded me all night and I’m starting to get a massive migraine from being overly tired and not being able to give into the sandman’s’ sweet embrace. I just want to sleep! Especially with how erratic my moods have been lately; sleep should come naturally and offer me even a slight bit of relief but it’s not.
The holidays are particularly difficult for people in addiction recovery. This time of year can dredge up sad memories, cause financial or travel-related stress, and subject you to uncomfortable social situations. At the same time, alcohol is present at almost all work parties and family gatherings, which can make abstinence all the more difficult to maintain. Thankfully, there are several things you can do to prepare yourself and enjoy a sober holiday season. (Continue Reading…)
Some people look forward to going to almost all of their psychiatric appointments while others seem to loathe them. At times, it may feel like you have no idea what you’re supposed to talk about or discuss. Then other times, you may feel like you have way too much to bring up or go over that it can feel a bit overwhelming. These things happen to everyone from time to time.
If you couldn’t already tell by the title and picture of this post, I am feeling pretty manic today. My mind is going a million miles a minute and my fingers and mouth can’t seem to keep up. I keep making so many typing errors already just because I am trying to type as fast as humanly possible since my mind is going so fast.
It is currently after 3 o’clock in the morning and I am wide awake. I probably should try to get some sleep since I see my psychiatrist at 8:30 a.m., but I don’t think I am going to be getting much sleep. My body is tired and in so much physical pain (My back has been killing me!) but my mind is wide awake; which happens all too often. So, right now, I am #TeamNoSleep once again.
Insomnia was in the lead by a long shot last night. #TeamNoSleep strikes again! It is currently a little after 8 o’clock in the morning on Saturday, November 9th, 2019. And no matter how alone I may have felt last night, I know that about 40 million other Americans suffer from chronic insomnia as well and probably weren’t getting much sleep either. And since I am a woman, I am actually twice as likely to have developed insomnia in the first place. I even wrote a poem about my insomnia titled: When Insomnia Says Hi!
Doctors don’t completely understand the causes of bipolar. Its symptoms include having the elated highs of mania to the lows of major depression, along with various mood states between. These extremes in mood are called “episodes”. Or as I like to call them, “temporary insanity.”
Drugs, alcohol and addictive substances have a way of taking over your life. If you are in recovery, however, you are on the right track to take that control back and start living life on your own terms again. Taking steps to get your life on track again can take some additional effort. Use these tips to maintain focus and manage your life during recovery.
Being a prisoner inside one’s own cranium is one of the darkest and loneliest places to be, and sometimes even the most dangerous.
My mood is all over the place right now. I think I am in a mixed bipolar episode. These episodes can really be the worst. It feels like there is two or three of me arguing inside of my head. It’s like there is a f***ing battle going on in my mind. I can’t stand it!
Today is day two of some bothersome insomnia. It is said that about 25 percent of Americans suffer from acute insomnia and that 75 percent of those cases clear up on their own without an issue after a maximum of three months. However, I am more of a chronic case since I typically have insomnia that has lasted more than at least three nights a week for longer than a three month period. In my case, I have been dealing with insomnia issues for as long as I can remember.
October 2019 holds more than just spooky stuff and Halloween. Maybe you’re having a bad day, a bad week, a bad month, maybe even a bad year. Perhaps you’re not feeling like yourself and haven’t for quite some time. Maybe you have everything to be grateful for but are having a hard time finding even a little bit of joy in your everyday life. When is it more than just a bad mood or a bad day?
Autumn is hands down my favorite time of the year. The weather gets cooler in Pennsylvania, the leaves start to turn beautiful colors before gliding to the ground, it’s hoodie weather, plus, let’s not forget Halloween! I am also one of those pumpkin spice coffee lovers as well! I just love the Fall season! I hate summer even though I am a Leo; a summer baby.
I would like to welcome Amber from WriteAboutRecovery.com as she talks about Choosing the Right Rehabilitation Center for a Loved One.
Selecting the right rehab center for a loved one can be a major challenge, no matter how old they are or where they are in life.
Contemplating Life Yesterday was the two year anniversary of Wade’s death. I can’t believe that it has been two years already since he passed away. I really wish that I could bring him back to help ease my best friend and Godchildren’s pain. He left three wonderful children […]
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.
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 those two examples are usually meant to be […]
“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.
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.
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 not possible to stay up in the clouds […]
So how the topic of this blog came about was partly due to one of my trigger words is “normal”. Another was from a conversation between Samantha and me on how we thought it would make a good blog topic so here I go attempting it. Continue Reading….
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.
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!
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.
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.
In my bipolar roller coast of a mind, I find it hard to hold on to happiness that lingers. So I sat down did the work and came up with 10 things I can do that I have proven to make my life happier. By keeping a positive attitude as much as I can, it helps to create happy memories to get me through some very dark sad days. I can look back over my life remembering good and bad. Here are 10 steps I take to remind myself and continue to build on my own personal happiness:
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)
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