The Norm.

What is considered ‘the norm’? Pretending like one’s issues do not exist? Not seeking help for a disorder that you know is slowly killing you by breaking you down as a person? According to an article I read on Yahoo!, it  is the norm for the NFL. But what about real life?

When I first found out I was bipolar, I wasn’t even expecting such a response. I began working with a counselor at the University because I was frustrated with how I was being treated as a woman in the Natural Science department, and wanted ways of coping with it since I assumed it was causing me to have extreme bouts of anger and depression. Turns out, it wasn’t the fault of the department after all.

I was in denial for years that anything was even wrong. It was up until last year (a few months before I started this blog) that I actually acknowledged my disease. And when I finally admitted it, most of my family and friends were accepting of it, and endured my ups and downs with me. Of course, there are the few people who still think I use my disease as an excuse to be lesser of a person. At least that’s the mindset of my parents, one of whom is actually bipolar himself.

Recently, I’ve been going through a stressful time in my life. I’m at that midpoint in my twenties where I’m struggling to find my path in life. Unfortunately for me, that includes financial struggles along with the career search, which is why I figured it would be a good move to live with my mother since it would give me the opportunity to clear my head and get my life together. Yet, it has been a constant struggle to even get her to acknowledge that my disease can often hinder me in areas that a person without it wouldn’t have the same issues. Because of this, it has been constant criticism and insults at my expense, setting back my progress that I had gained with the disease.

It’s hard living with bipolar. Those who live with it never seem to be in the right. We either bottle it up, and pretend like its not there while it eats us alive, or we seek help from the worst of places (which can often lead to substance abuse). If you suffer from bipolar, I’m sure you’ve experienced one of the above at some point in your time line. For those of you who are living amongst loved ones with the disease, please be patient with them, and encourage them to get the help they need instead of pointing out what they are doing wrong (which could be a result of their disease).