Living with manic bipolar depression can be an incredibly overwhelming experience. Symptoms such as extreme highs, extreme lows, and drastic changes in mood/behavior can make it difficult to go about day-to-day life as usual. When you’re at your lowest, nothing may feel like it matters or seems worth trying to change for the better—a feeling that has become all too familiar.
It’s especially tough when I don’t have anyone supportive or understanding around me. Part of struggling with this mental illness is acknowledging the fact that there might not be any easy answers or quick fixes but day after day, I continue to fight my hardest to manage my condition with the help of therapy and medication.
I can recognize that being able to find moments of happiness and positivity is crucial in maintaining a certain level of stability—it’s never easy but I work hard each day to do so because I understand it will make all the difference. It’s important for me to focus on self-care by doing things that will bring me joy such as meditating, going outdoors or exercising. Adopting practical coping strategies has been one of the biggest ways for me to reclaim some type of control over my life again instead of letting bipolar depression take over in times when it feels like everything else is spinning out of control.