Living with Bi-polar Disorder

How many people do you know with Bi-Polar Disorder? My guess is many will answer that question as, NONE. Are you sure? There are so many people any more who are dealing, and living with Bi-Polar Disorder, that I'd be willing to bet that at least one of your neighbors has it, if not many more than that.

Bi-Polar Disorder is different for every person who has it. Yes for the most part there are specific signs that says, oh yeah, this person is Bi-Polar. For instance, many people who have bi-polar have a hard time being around other people. It's not that we do not like other people, but we shut ourselves away from others at times, and at other times, we are in the middle of the crowd. For myself, I prefer to be away from others and around only my husband and children, and this is how I am 90% of the time. I love people, I really do, and I really love helping people. I would give another person my last dollar if they needed it. I enjoy helping other people, but I cannot deal with being around people for very long, or very often.

For many with Bi-Polar, getting out of bed on many mornings is almost impossible. Going to the store seems like some horrible punishment. Making a phone call is more stressful than having a tooth pulled. These are three small things that most of us just do without even thinking about it, but for someone with Bi-Polar, not only do we have to think about doing the task, sometimes it takes us hours to get to a point that we can do it!

There are ups for those who suffer from Bi-Polar Disorder though. Sometimes we are on top of the world, invincible, nothing can stop us. Those are our good days, the more "normal" days. Those days are cherished by many with Bi-Polar, because they are so very few and far between. Some of us have a bigger percentage of good days, which makes it a bit easier.