I remember the first time I experienced symptoms of bipolar disorder. It felt like my mood swung from one extreme to another in a matter of moments, leading to periods of both high energy and low motivation. At first I thought these feelings were normal, but as time passed, I began to realize it was something more serious.
The thing that made my bipolar unique is that even with the treatments prescribed by my doctor, I continued to struggle with managing my condition. The medicines and therapies did not seem to be helping me make much progress; in fact, there were many times where my condition got worse instead of better.
At this point I decided to take a different approach and joined a support group for people who had treatment resistant bipolar disorder. Here we talked about our experiences and shared tips on how best to cope. The more research and reading I did about bipolar disorder the more empowered I became with managing it myself.
Little by little I began making positive changes in lifestyle – eating healthier, exercising regularly, journaling daily etc… For the first time in a long while I began feeling like myself again, like I was getting things under control. Now days life is really quite manageable for me thanks to these lifestyle changes and continued support from friends and family members who understand what living with bipolar disorder can feel like.