Something I am Proud of in My Journey:
At the start of 2018, after a particularly bad manic episode, I found myself at rock bottom. I had no job, no money, barely a roof over my head, I had racked up thousands of pounds of debt and I was on a slippery slope to addiction and self-destruction.
After nearly a year of using alcohol and other destructive coping strategies, a friend reached out and asked if I was looking for a job. I pulled myself together for the interview and was offered the job. That was the start of my rebuilding process. I have managed to keep the same job to this day, working full time while managing my condition with medication and wholehearted support from my family, friends, employer and local mental health services.
I stopped drinking alcohol in August 2023 and have been teetotal since November that year. I moved into a new place in May last year and started to exercise, first by walking 2.5 miles every evening after work, and then by joining the gym in September last year. I was nearly 16 stone last May, I am now 13.5 stone and in the best shape of my life.
It hasn’t been a straightforward seven years. There have been the ups and downs, the anxiety, blips and episodes that are part and parcel of Bipolar Disorder. But since my sobriety and lifestyle changes, and with continued management of my medication and the support of my family, friends, mental health services and my employer, these have been more manageable.
Bipolar Disorder is not a straightforward condition. Every person who has it experiences it differently. When I was diagnosed in 2011, I had no idea of the journey and rollercoaster I was about to embark on. It has been tough, often brutal, but I believe that the changes I have made to my lifestyle and physical health have made the tough times more manageable. I know that there will be future blips and dips, episodes and things beyond my control, but my outlook is more positive. Bipolar Disorder gives you resilience and strength that is hard to generate any other way. Now, I take each day as it comes, but instead of fearing what lies ahead, I embrace the future with hope, resilience, and the strength I’ve earned through every high and low.
Message for the Newly Diagnosed:
Don’t be afraid of the diagnosis. It sounds scary, and at times it can be, but the support, help, advice, and information on the condition are readily available for free. Mental Health is not the taboo subject it once was; employers are more informed and supportive, and your friends and family will still be there by your side. Bipolar Disorder does not define you. It gives you attributes that you didn’t know you had. And if you are struggling with it, remember help is there and always will be, you are not alone and never will be.
