When Bipolar Stops Everything

What it’s like when bipolar makes your world stop turning.

One thing I hate most about bipolar disorder is how it can just stop everything.

I had three days off last week and a laundry list of things I wanted to do. There were posts to write, graphics to create, and new videos to produce. I was going to produce a monumental amount of content.

Bipolar had a different plan.

Thursday morning, I had nowhere to go, so I excitedly sat down to pump out some meaningful content. I had a to-do list and was eager to cross each item off.

Now, here it is Sunday afternoon, and I have almost nothing checked off my list. I’m struggling to even get this newsletter out to you.

Bipolar is like that sometimes.

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I stared at the computer screen for a good hour before I gave up. The surrender was inevitable. It didn’t matter how much I wanted to do if my mind was an unwilling participant. Instead, it turned into three days of binge watching When Calls the Heart and Downton Abbey (affiliate links). At least it was wholesome television.

Each week, I try to share positive things with you to help you live your best life with bipolar. My online content encourages exercise, eating nutritious meals, and taking your meds on time. But, it’s crucial you also know that there are days when you have no control. Even when you do everything right, there will be days when bipolar is a mammoth stone wall you can neither climb nor go around.

And that’s okay.

It sucks – I’m not going to pretend that it doesn’t – but it’s okay to take a day, or a few days, to let your bipolar brain wreak its havoc.

As much as I try to pretend I don’t have an illness, I still do. Sick days are allowed, so don’t beat yourself up if you need to take the time to crash.

I produced a couple of new items during my down days, adding a few more days to the 30 Days of Positivity email course. There’s enough days in the system now to keep you from having any gaps.

If you haven’t signed up for the free daily emails, today would be a great day to start. I’m receiving some wonderful feedback about how nice it is to start each day with something inspirational. You may need that positivity as we traverse the last weeks of 2021, a time of year that is historically rough on mental illness.

If you’re struggling, please know you’re not alone. I get it, and while the Crawleys are happy to get my attention, I hate that nothing else is getting done.

The worst days always pass, so you must hold on. Better days will come again.

As a side note, earlier in the week, I published one post on Medium, I’m Not Following the Rules Anymore, about whether you should follow all the writing rules in your content.

Thank you for sticking with me on this roller coaster. I am grateful to have you here.

Until next time, keep fighting.