Bipolar disorder depression: ” Julie, Can You Help Me? I Feel Like I Can’t Go On….”

I’ve been posting a lot to FACEBOOk lately. I have a wonderful bipolar disorder community on my page and I find great solace, fun and a lot of joy from the posts. Here is one from tonight.

” Julie, please help me. I feel like I can’t go on….”

When I first started BipolarHappens.com in 2002, I listed my email online. I didn’t know what I was doing of course- no one had eBooks back then except a few of us and I wanted to be available to everyone. The new media was so exciting- and still is. We can reach so many people. I received thousands of emails- not a typo- and for two years I answered them.  I then had to take down my email of course- and for many years, my contact with my dear readers was through their buying my books, reading my social media or hearing me speak.

Now that DM is so popular with Facebook and other programs, I’m getting a lot of ‘email’s’ again. I have to decide how to deal with this. I want to be available, but I’m not able to answer them individually as the number of messages has become very high again. So, my idea is to post general answers.

Here is my first one.

Many, many people write me and say they can’t go on and ask how I do it.  The answer is simple- I understand and accept that the feeling that I can’t go on is just another symptom of bipolar disorder and it’s common when you’re in a down swing. It’s common after you have had a bad manic episode- it’s so common that I wrote two posts about shame just in the past week because I had to deal with it after being manic once again.  When you feel like you can’t go on- the feeling is real. It does feel literally like you can’t go on, but you can. You have probably done it many times before. I believe that thinking that one day that feeling is going to stop is what gets us into trouble. Feeling that you can’t go on is a symptom just like feeling euphoric when you’re in a super good feeling up swing is a symptom. They are equal. One makes you feel like you can take on the world, the other makes you feel that you can’t handle another day. NEITHER IS REAL! Does that make sense? Just like we have to learn that chasing euphoric mania is not good for us, it’s equally not good for us to believe that we can’t go on.

I’m down tonight- which is the normal brain chemistry event that happens after a manic episode. I was manic yesterday and I’m down today. It makes sense as I have ultra rapid cycling bipolar disorder two. I’m simply experiencing the illness.  This is what makes me such a great writer and coach- I go through the mood swings just like everyone else. If you have written me and asked for advice- here it is.

EXPECT THE FEELING THAT YOU CAN’T GO ON AND HAVE A PLAN FOR IT.

My plan is to take my new medication (geodon) reach out to dear and loving friends- I just texted my friend Karen and will call my friend Sherry right now because it’s what I need to do- believe me, it’s not what I want to do! And I have a favor. If you have had the feeling that you can’t go on, please leave your advice below for how you deal with it and move through it- remember, if you have bipolar disorder, it’s not going to disappear. It will return. But that is the ONE GOOD THING ABOUT THIS ILLNESS! It’s episodic- we can and usually do go back to baseline. I plan to. And darn it- no matter what, I will get out of this down swing in the next few hours by doing what I write about in my books. Helping others is what works for me. I’m interested to know what works for you and I know that all of the people who write me who are in pain would love your advice as well. !!!!!

KISSES!

Julie

PS: Here is a picture of the earrings I made tonight for the contest winners on FACEBOOK rom last week. Believe me, there are a few tears in amongst all the beauty. Just like life! I do a contest every week- so definitely check out my page at Julie A. Fast

Related posts:
Bipolar Disorder and Work: I always, always feel better if I get something done
Bipolar disorder triggers: Don’t do the things that make you feel bad….
A Thank You Note from Julie