LIFE CHANGES
9/21/06
A year ago today I was diagnosed with bipolar disorder. Until then, it was always something that someone else had. And then it was me. It has been an incredibly painful year of life changes, of suffering and of healing, of self-realization and recovery.

I have, and am still, learning every day how to live wth, manage, and accept who I am. Before life was about taking risks, now, it is about minimizing them.

That's one of the many ways that life changed for me after September 22, 2005. I will, for the rest of my life, always tread carefully on this day and know to take extra care of myself on this month.

September, I have now learned (according to another one of my trusty doctors) is a month of tremendous change. It apparently, is the month when all the psych wards run out of beds. The changes in the weather, the shortening of the days, the start of the school year, the changes in schedules and routines, the end of the fiscal year, and the beginning of the academic calendar are stressful for most people. However, for the bipolars, September is a landmine of life triggers that can increase anxiety, cause insomnia, stir up thinking -- and, thus, September is a particularly vulnerable month for bipolar people. Some of us nosedive down into depression; the others of us skyrocket up into mania.

It makes sense. I'm not sure that knowing this would have prevented anything, but it's helpful to know (now). I do think that it is really true that sometimes we really have to learn things the hard way for life to make sense. So before this month ends, make sure to do something to take care of YOURSELF.