Please, don't let yourself believe you are ill or you will be ill - you are not ill, you do not have a disease - you have a condition only those who share your unique physiology can appreciate, and that is all. You think how you feel and you feel how you think - believe the in the illness or disease model and it will hold you back from living the way you deserve. Why are there both many high-functioning bipolars and low-functioning bipolars out there? This reality has NOTHING to do with physiological degrees of severity, though many within the helping profession might tell you different. Exceptions? Might there be some of us who really have other physical ailments that are exacerbating their condition? This may very well be the case, but after successful stabilizing treatment is found, personal responsibility must take center stage.
Yes, some of us need more help in getting back on our feet than others; some of us have had experiences that have been more damaging to our ego/psyche/personal relationships than others; some of us have gone undiagnosed longer than others; but one fact remains: Once you get stablized, how you want to live out the rest of your life is UP TO YOU, and this is a choice. Ultimately -- over time and a lot of self-analysis and work -- you will feel as you allow yourself to feel.
Again, there is a lot of work involved, here. But, the work is YOURS, not a physicians or psychiatrists. Ultimately, what I believe is involved is that we each need to recognize which feelings make us think things that threaten our emotional health. Often, such feelings occur from situations, places or people - if possible, or appropriate, it might be good to avoid them. Think about it, with respect to these latter points, these facts apply to anyone (bipolar or non-bipolar).
As we emerge from the confusion of being bipolar and not knowing it, we must also refuse to embrace the same thoughts that we've learned to lean on as coping mechanisms during our lifetimes. We must learn to identify which of these coping mechanisms are detrimental to our health and have clearly demonstrated themselves to repeatedly promote negative outcomes. We also must identifiy the GOOD coping mechanisms, learn from them, and fully embrace them -- especially those that might not have been a previously practiced part of our daily life.
One odd way to look at this is: Depressive-leaning bipolars need to learn the "art of mania" and manic bipolars need to learn the "art of depression." By this, I am saying I believe that each of us bipolars has a dominant tendency rooted in both temperment and thought. I believe each of us can learn from the strengths of each of these two bipolar personalities for I believe it is the coping mechanisms of each of us that dictate where our moods usually take us. Chronic depression is quite prevalent in our society. Does anyone know anyone who is chronically hypomanic? These people, while fraught with challenges, also have many things to teach a depressive-leaning individual, just as many of us folk who are/have been more challenged by the depressive aspects of the condition (this includes me) could teach the chronic hypomanic a thing or two.
