It's easy to get down and to feel depressed, angry, or helpless when I think about my illness affecting me from now until the foreseeable future. One thing that’s helped me is counting my blessings. I've been blessed with a family and friends support system that has made it immensely easier to go through the highs and lows of bipolar.
When I've been manic, my friends and family have been understanding of my increased communication, pressured speech, and doing and saying things I wouldn’t say or do when I’m not having a manic or hypomanic episode.
I also have a wife that’s patient and helpful to me when I’m feeling depressed. When I’m feeling down, everything seems like more of an effort—chores, hanging out with others, getting myself ready—at times when I’m depressed it takes willpower to do things that would normally be routine. When I’m feeling that way, Laura often takes on extra chores and is sympathetic and understanding.
Also, I have friends and family that read my blog and sometimes say an encouraging word or two. Though it may not seem like much, occasionally hearing that something I’ve written has affected someone’s life in a positive way really makes me feel good.
When I shifting this blog from writing more about mental health than about running, I really hoped to raise more awareness about mental illness and especially to give people tools to cope with mental illness and/or support those dealing with mental illness. Hearing from people who have found those posts helpful really makes it feel worthwhile writing this blog.
In my next few posts, I’ll be sharing some skills I’ve learned to help me cope with mental illness. Again, I’m hoping that sharing my experiences will be helpful not only to those with mental illness and their friends and family, but also for those who are looking to improve their mental health in general.
Thanks for reading.
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