For Bipolar 2 and ADHD, Reading a Helpful Outlet

A couple of years after my diagnosis of bipolar 2 disorder and ADHD, I found reading to be a helpful outlet. When you live with bipolar 2 disorder, you have these extreme emotions, stimulating thoughts and imagination that is overwhelming at times. When I was a child, I needed more than my journal as an outlet for these ideas.

Reading Helped Me Focus: A Problem with Bipolar 2 and ADHD

In my twenties, when I decided to go back to college, my mother handed me the book, "The Red Tent," by Anita Diamant. My mother said I needed to start practicing reading because my inability to focus my thoughts was going to be a problem in school.

One day, I went to the gym to workout and brought the book with me and couldn't put it down. After that, I became obsessed with reading. I could genuinely engage and connect with the characters. Once I could focus, my mind would wander through the story. Ever since then, reading books has helped me manage my mental health on such a grand level. It has helped me become more focused and a better writer.

It is a free space for my mind to wander in a very healthy way. I suggest utilizing reading as a tool for helping your mental health.

What books are you reading? Do you find it is a helpful outlet for your mental health? Please share your thoughts below or do a response video and send it in to info@healthyplace.com. Thanks!