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Seeing a Future with Bipolar Disorder

January 2, 2019 Natasha Tracy

Seeing a Future with Bipolar Disorder.jpg

Sometimes you can't see a future with bipolar disorder. I get this. I really do. I have looked into the future with bipolar and it has felt like looking into an endless, black well. But recently, it occurred to me that you can see a future with bipolar disorder, and that future doesn't have to look completely bleak.

This is not a "ra-ra" post. I don't do those kinds of posts. This isn't a feelgood-sunshiney-unicorns-and-rainbows-kind of a post. This is about reality and the reality of having a serious mental illness sucks.

That said, not every moment in the future with bipolar will suck. Of that, I am convinced. I am also convinced that you need to see a future with bipolar disorder in order to successfully live with it today.

Seeing a Future with a Serious Illness

Recently, one of the bloggers here at HealthyPlace disclosed in a blog post that she has been diagnosed with a terminal illness. My heart broke when I read this. Not only does this person have dissociative identity disorder, but she now has to deal with an illness that will, undoubtedly, kill her.

In thinking about her future, I wanted her to know something: I wanted her to know that she still has a future. That future has been unfairly shortened, but she still has a future. She has a tomorrow. And that tomorrow might be amazing. 

And I think it's the same thing living with bipolar disorder. Bipolar disorder can kill you but bipolar disorder won't necessarily kill you.

Seeing a Future with Bipolar Disorder

But whether bipolar disorder ultimately kills you or not, you still have a future. You have a tomorrow. You can see a future even with the biggest, angriest, most horrible monkey on your back. And what you have to know is that every day of your future won't be a slog. Every day will not be agony. Some days will be light. Some days will be joyful. Some days will make you glad that it didn't end today.

And I believe that in order to live your best life today, you need to focus on seeing a future with bipolar disorder. As I said, this isn't about blind positivity, this is about being realistic. And realistically, you do have a future with bipolar disorder and that future is not all bad.

See, I have no doubt that my bipolar disorder will get worse in the future. If the past is any indicator, this will, indeed, happen. I see that in my future with bipolar disorder. That said, I know that the past also tells me that not every moment will be hell. That is also in my future with bipolar disorder. So it's not an endless, black well. I can see some light. I focus on the light in my bipolar future so I can try to work towards that light today.

This is really important because it motivates the now in order to discover a better tomorrow. It reminds me that doing all the things that increase wellness -- sleep schedules, coping skills, resting, routines, etc. -- truly is important. That helps me create that better future that I know is out there. 

So in short, a future with bipolar disorder may not be easy, but a future with bipolar disorder exists. And even if it's hard, that future doesn't have to be a bad thing.

APA Reference
Tracy, N. (2019, January 2). Seeing a Future with Bipolar Disorder, HealthyPlace. Retrieved on 2024, November 7 from https://www.healthyplace.com/blogs/breakingbipolar/2019/1/seeing-a-future-with-bipolar-disorder



Author: Natasha Tracy

Natasha Tracy is a renowned speaker, award-winning advocate, and author of Lost Marbles: Insights into My Life with Depression & Bipolar. She also hosted the podcast Snap Out of It! The Mental Illness in the Workplace Podcast.

Natasha will be unveiling a new book, Bipolar Rules! Hacks to Live Successfully with Bipolar Disorder, late 2024.

Find Natasha Tracy here as well as on X, InstagramFacebook, Threads, and YouTube.

Liz
January, 25 2019 at 4:33 pm

There is a future with Bipolar - but it gets broken and ruined. I've suffered for 25 years now. Been hospitalised- had ECT - been Sectioned- lost jobs its ruined relationship s . Why should I want to go through anova 25 yrs of hell - done coping strategies CBT - there are no answer s but why should I go on to look forward to more n more Disruption

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