Living INXS

Frustration is something we all deal with, but when you have a mental illness, that frustration becomes amplified. Small everyday challenges feel bigger, like just facing them is an impossible task. Often, you’re not only fighting external obstacles but also…

For the first time in my life, I felt self-compassion. Before, I always found a reason not to: maybe I deserved it, others have it worse, life is just unfair. I never allowed myself to see it any other way.…

Time takes a toll on everyone’s mental sharpness, but with bipolar disorder, it’s different. It’s not just the highs and lows that wear you down, the medications do too. Sometimes, the sedation is so strong that even speaking becomes a…

Being bipolar means facing ups and downs, unfinished projects, work problems, and plans falling apart. Over time, I learned not to see it as failure, but as a pause. When depression hits, I step back and wait. It’s not giving…

Sometimes I imagine how useful it would be to give certain people a dose of lithium and quetiapine, just so they could understand what your body feels like after taking them. How it drags you down, how it leaves you…

Sometimes I feel like my life revolves around the illness. Every day is marked by control: avoiding stress to stay balanced, eating well to keep my sleep intact, taking my medication on time. It all comes down to that, maintaining…

I want to change, to break habits that are ruining my life. I try, I want it badly, but I fail to see that willpower alone isn’t enough. Bipolar disorder isn’t something you overcome just by wanting to, just like…