Why I Choose to Blog

I first started blogging back in 2003.  My wife and I started a blog to chronicle some of the challenges we faced raising a child with bipolar disorder.  It’s an interesting story about how I got started.  My bipolar son Kyle is a huge music fan, and he’s also a very spiritual person.  He talked me into taking him to a huge Christian music festival in Illinois one summer, and we had a great time.  A week of dust, heat, camping, music, and great times.  During the festival they had classes and workshops, some were excellent.  I took one called “The Prairie School Of Writing”, and got a lot out of it.  But they devoted a portion of the class to blogging, and it motivated me to start.  I came home from the festival in July 2003, and jumped right in.  I haven’t taken a break since then, and maintain a couple of blogs still today.  I still have that first blog – http://bipolarsupport.blogspot.com  - but these days I only update it once or twice a year.  

Blogging at that time was mostly for the technically savvy.  You had to know basic HTML code to do much of anything.  Today it’s gotten a little easier, but a true blog still takes some technical knowledge and the desire to spend time tinkering and tweaking.  You spend many hours trying to get things “just right”, and finding ways to promote your blog to get the attention it needs to be beneficial to you.  Then you have to maintain link lists, comments, fight spam, and so forth.  This has scared away many people who could really benefit from blogging.

BipolarConnect has brought a new form of “blogging” to all of us in the bipolar disorder community.  They don’t call them “blogs”, they’re called “Shareposts”, but the concept is the same.  It’s a very simple way to share your experiences, learn from others, and easily communicate with peers.  

You may find, as I do, that blogging fills several crucial needs.  First, as a personal log.  Anyone who has kept a personal log or diary knows how cathartic they can be.  You hand your thoughts and feelings to your log, and step away knowing you can find them in the future if and when the need arises.  

Next, as a means of support.  Because it’s completely anonymous we can put our thoughts, feelings, symptoms, and ideas out there for our peers to see.  This gives you access to an entire community that has walked a mile in your shoes.  They know what you are experiencing, they can advise you, they can help you navigate through the rough spots.  They are the village that is there to support and nurture your needs.  And that’s a powerful thing.

Finally, it’s a great method of communication.  Through your blogs you keep in touch with people that will become like friends and family.  People read what you have to say, and leave you messages.  You do the same.  It’s a way to communicate with people from across the globe, people who have the same experiences, interests, needs.