(Editor's Note: While this article is specifically about bipolar disorder, anyone who has felt depressed or "down" can benefit from the information and insights shared by the author.)
I can honestly say that bipolar is my friend and not my foe. Why do I say that? Because, during my journey with the illness, I have been transformed from a creative, whacky young woman into a woman with character and courage.
To live with bipolar disorder, you have to see the condition as your friend, so you are not frightened by it. What we fear we give our power to and can become immobilized by it.
Working with your mind so that you see bipolar as your friend can really help you learn to live with the condition. It is, after all, mind over matter. The more you can embrace the situation, the more confident you become.
The Dark Side of Bipolar
There have been times when I have not had such a rosy view of things. When I go into a psychiatric hospital, I am away from my family and friends for over six weeks at a time.
There is no doubt that the illness can tear families apart. They do not see bipolar disorder as a friend; they see it as the enemy. My experience has been that it is harder for people around me to cope than it is for me, the person with the illness.
I think people who suffer the lows more than the highs will find it difficult to see bipolar as a friend. I know that when I am severely depressed, I hate the illness and see it as my enemy. Depression is such a wicked illness, leaving the person and everyone around them feeling helpless. At these times, I am not so optimistic about the illness.
I've Looked At Life From Both Sides Now
What I have learnt from experience is that after a journey with the "black cloud" in tow, I feel so much better about life when it lifts. I recognize I am coming out of a depression by the way I look at life and the colours I am able to see. When I'm depressed, everything is black, but once the cloud has lifted, I am able to see colours in all their glory.
The sky isn't just blue; it is vivid. The sun isn't just yellow; it is a ball of fire. Colours are majestically heightened.
For the majority of us, this illness is not life threatening. Some people cannot cope with the highs and lows of the illness and do, unfortunately, take their own lives. The majority, though, recover from each episode and are able to lead a normal life.
Learning to Manage the Highs and Lows
One skilful way of managing this illness is to keep a record of your highs and lows, so you can be prepared where possible. Being around optimistic people is a must. Believe in yourself, know that you will survive the storm, and trust that the periods of mental health will far outnumber episodes of being unwell.
When I interviewed people with bipolar for this book, many of them were terrified by their illness — so much so, they hardly ever went out into the community. They lacked the confidence to try to work. In fact, a large number of people with mental illness do not work due to this reason.
I wanted an opportunity to talk to a selection of people who see the illness as enabling and give them great momentum in their life.
Case Studies of Patients Who Live Successfully with Bipolar
Graham tells his story:
I am a large personality with a big heart, according to my wife and children. I am a musician. I have always been creative and felt that I have always been bipolar. I was diagnosed with the illness six years ago. I am now 36. I don't believe I would be able to produce music to the level I do without bipolar.
I have chosen to go down the alternative route and not take lithium or antipsychotic drugs. I look after myself by a healthy diet with lots of fish and pulses. I often go into mania, but I have a loving wife who looks after me.
Adrian tells his story:
I've suffered with more lows than highs... but after every low I feel more confident to achieve the next task in my life. I can see the positives in the illness. I know I will come out the other side stronger and more creative because of the black cloud.
Finding the Strength to Continue to Grow After Each Manic Episode
It definitely seems that the experience of bipolar highs as opposed to lows is beneficial, even though we have heard how productive you can be after a low. One thing is common, no matter where you fall on the pole: After each episode of bipolar, you are left exhausted and vulnerable and need time to readjust and pick up the pieces.
After my first manic episode, in 2004, it took me nine months to recover fully. My recovery was aided by doing the things I have described in this book — improving my diet, correcting my medication, doing regular exercise, participating in hobbies, and seeing family and friends.
Birthing a New Life: You Will Get Better Again
It's interesting that it took me nine months to recover and it takes nine months to give birth to a new life. In a way, I felt my recovery time allowed me to heal from the traumas I experienced and be reborn. During recovery, it is important that you believe that you will get well again. You have the power to make anything happen.
Each person's journey with bipolar disorder is unique. Know that you will get better again.
Bipolar disorder is only part of you and not the whole. It can be highly creative and a wonderful place to be. You must learn to embrace bipolar and not fear it. Trust that you will survive the highs and the lows and through each episode you will become stronger. — LYNN HODGES
*Subtitles by InnerSelf
©2012 by Lynn Hodges. All Rights Reserved.
Reprinted with permission of the publisher,
Findhorn Press. www.findhornpress.com.
This article was adapted with permission from the book:
Living With Bipolar Disorder: Strategies for Balance and Resilience
by Lynn Hodges.
From the initial diagnosis through recovery and transformation, this handbook offers positive, real-life solutions and support from one who not only suffers from bipolar disorder herself but has experienced it with her mother and her daughter. Employing a practical, candid tone, the guide offers firsthand advice on how to lead a fulfilling life despite having this debilitating mental-health condition, with a special focus on addressing the personal questions that arise following diagnosis.
Click here for more Info and/or to Order this book.
About the Author
Lynn Hodges has unfortunately had a lot of experience with mental illness. In addition to a family history of mental illness, Lynn herself has been diagnosed with Bipolar One – the most serious mental health illness in the category of Bipolar Disorder. Despite all this, Lynn is an amazing survivor who has learned to embrace her illness in everyday life. In this she has been so successful that she now facilitates for the Kent Council (UK) classes and workshops on "What it is like to live and work with Bipolar Disorder" to both mental health professionals as well as patients.
