March 30th marks World Bipolar Day and I am proud to share a snippet of my story and experience with you.
The term Bipolar can conjure up many images, I recently had an interaction in the shop, where the person serving me commented that the weather was ‘bipolar’ today, I had a little giggle to myself!
Bipolar can be characterised as two mood extremes, one being Depression which is a low mood and the other being Mania or Hypomania, where the mood can be unusually high. One can also have long periods of stability in between episodes. Although this is a very straightforward description, in reality, it is not that simple.
I have titled my article, myself and my Bipolar, and the reasons are twofold. The first is that my bipolar symptoms may differ from others with the same illness. The second reason is that I have accepted my illness and I believe that it is mine and part of me.
It has taken me a while to learn what makes me feel unwell, and now I have a robust toolbox which I can pick and choose from to help prevent and/or minimise an episode. Sleep cures all ails, and this is of huge importance to my mental health. Sleep is top of my priority list. I have also learned many coping skills along the way, such as journaling, walking in nature, and doing mindful activities like acting and swing dancing.
Some very famous people also share the diagnosis, Vincent Van Gogh, Carrie Fisher, Stephen Fry, Mariah Carey, Catherine Zeta-Jones, and many others, including yours truly!
Ádh Mór – Good Luck!
Olivia
