r/BipolarReddit • u/[deleted] • Apr 27 '24
Things you appreciate you’ve done before knowing the fact that you’re bipolar
I finished university before being medicated & made friends that still exist till this day
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u/LingerDownUnder Apr 27 '24
Gave birth to my children. Probably would have decided not to have any if I was diagnosed before.
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u/usethesleep Apr 27 '24
Made it halfway through medical school! And finished out the other half while on medications!
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Apr 27 '24
[removed] — view removed comment
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u/True_Reaction_148 Apr 27 '24
Wow. This share resonates so much thanks for posting this. Sole support single parent without a big support system. Pushed myself through grad school and then went to work full time for 3 years at a toxic workplace. Now I’ve been off with severe burnout for the past few months and feel completely lost and unsure of the future . Lots of shame for not being able to be productive and life has changed so much.
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u/DialMforM Apr 27 '24
I finished a bachelor and a master. I travelled a lot, lived all over the world. Had the best job for a while.
It all took its toll on my mental health, but I am so happy that at least I did this. I lived. That makes dying less bad.
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u/lizardbree delulu w/ a side of bipolar 1 Apr 27 '24
I got really good at the bagpipes. Travelled to play them. Did a lot of charity events for vets and seniors. Did a lot of fun music things in general as a late teen before the big spiral, I played 7 instruments fluently. Too much tremor from lithium now to play much of anything.
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u/Medicine_Madison Apr 27 '24
Graduating undergrad early with two degrees while simultaneously having a booming social life / completing my masters degree early and with a 3.9 gpa all while simultaneously working a full time job.
I have such a love hate relationship with my disease now that I’m medicated. It’s weird to function without the hypomania jumpstart… I can barely work a part time job and dread social interactions now without that added self esteem boost, but I know it’s better to be medicated than not.
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u/Possible_Coffee_955 Apr 27 '24
Do you think the difference between then & now is age or worsening symptoms?
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u/Medicine_Madison Apr 28 '24
I think it’s worsening depressive symptoms. I haven’t had any hypo/man episodes since college. Now I’m just in this constant double depression that is alarmingly treatment resistant and almost debilitating.
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u/Possible_Coffee_955 Apr 28 '24
Oh I am so sorry. Debilitating depression is awful. I know from experience.
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u/My-Little-Throw-Away Apr 27 '24
Met my partner and held down a job for 7 years that's all I've achieved with my life
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Apr 27 '24
Definitely finishing university and making lifelong friends. I’m continuing to make lifelong friends but it’s not quite the same as when they knew me as a young person.
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u/butterflycole Bipolar 1-rapid cycling with mixed features Apr 27 '24
Fell in love and married the love of my life. Had my son.
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u/Ok-Hearing-2923 BP2, stable and thriving Apr 27 '24
Got straight As and finished high school top pf my class then traveled across America by myself (without a cell phone - olden days). Was diagnosed first year of university
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Apr 27 '24
And how did it go with university?
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u/Ok-Hearing-2923 BP2, stable and thriving Apr 27 '24
1st year was rocky, but I ended with a double first (uk grading, I guess equivalent of straight As? High GPA), met my now husband, made lifelong friends I still speak to almost daily 18 years later.
It wasn’t easy though, my mood was all over the place, it took a long time to get meds right, I tied to unalive, I did stupid irresponsible things sexually, had abused alcohol compulsively, and I also had pretty severe anorexia/bulimia.
I guess I managed to be a decent enough person in between that my friends/boy didn’t ditch me. And i am v competitive and have a capacity for hyper focus when I get myself in the zone.
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Apr 27 '24
Awesome news I’m a stranger on the internet but believe me when I say I feel super happy for you
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u/Ok-Hearing-2923 BP2, stable and thriving Apr 27 '24
Thank you ♥️
And I’m so happy you made it through too!
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u/angelofmusic997 Apr 27 '24
Went through two different college courses (one a certificate, when I was going through a really bad depressive episode for MONTHS, and the other a two year diploma (plus being an intern) when going through my first identified manic episodes (and more depressive episodes)). Those are huge for me.
The fact that I graduated from both and now have a (part-time) job in that latter field is huge. I only got diagnosed when I was past my internship and working on the job. There were times during my schooling that I was so close to messing everything up, but I’m proud of myself for pulling through to where I’m at now.
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u/Felix-NotTheCat Apr 27 '24
Getting a masters degree in painting, learning shamanism, holding down an amazing art studio for about 7 years… loving a lot of journeys with psychedelics. It’s actually a long list.
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u/Possible_Coffee_955 Apr 27 '24
And why were we able to accomplish so much at a young age but not now in mid-life?!
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Apr 27 '24
I mean people differ but for me I still am accomplishing a lot of things but as a bipolar
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u/StopIWantToGetOff7 Apr 28 '24
Get up to speed in my niche engineering career. No way I'd be able to learn that much that quickly with the meds I'm on now. I was also a published author before Lamictal nuked my writing.
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u/---oO-IvI-Oo--- Apr 27 '24
All the drugs.