“The journey to recovery, above all other factors, starts with you.”
More often than not, the effects of bipolar disorder can leave a person feeling dejected, abandoned, and having a feeling of despair. This mixture of emotions is what pushes people to the extremes of committing suicide. Just like any other patients, people with bipolar disorder need care and love especially from those dear to them. Family and friends as recounted by Jocelyn need to come together and give their unconditional support without fail.
Besides the intrinsic factors which worsen their condition, society, on the other hand, has a special way of stigmatising such patients. People regard them as psychotic people, showing tendencies of isolating them. Some people will even make negative comments. A good percentage of people have difficulty being aware of their condition, resulting in a misunderstanding during interactions. It is wise to educate the masses about bipolar disorder and its impact on an individual and society as a whole.
Jocelyn’s Journey
As echoed by several types of research, many women fall prey of bipolar disorder compared to their male counterparts. Jocelyn who resides in South Africa narrates how she has endured the dark and painful days presented by this disorder. She compares this with a drug addict that this disease messed with the normal functioning of her mind. Even with her turbulent experience with the condition, she emerged to come out stronger and more determined to outdo every challenge that this illness and life in general presented.
Some of the things that have kept her going during her darkest days are that she allowed time to work on herself and never question why she was stuck on that bed for that long. She converges her focus on achieving total recovery.
She has come to learn how to flash out the embarrassment that comes with her depression. To her, depression is part of the natural process that leads to self-discovery, and so she opts to let it take its course, as time has proven to heal her wounds.
Jocelyn swears by routine activities. She refers to simple tasks like getting up early, spreading your bed, preparing breakfast, walking your dog, feeding cats, having a cup of coffee, and taking an evening yoga. As light as they might seem, these activities have had a tremendous impact on stabilising and getting her life back on track.
Unhealthy and reckless lifestyle habits are things she regrets. Initially, she had given up power to anxiety and stress which took over. This step led to her taking lots of energy drinks, caffeine, and junk foods. Today her imperative duty is to maintain an absolute healthy style of living. She is very careful about what she drinks, watches the quantity of anything she consumes, and minimises the level of caffeine intake.
Jocelyn is now proud of all the milestones she has achieved so far. She prides her recovery process on the fact she chose to embrace her situation since no one has the power to evade the changes that bipolar disorder leaves on their system. Before, she used to be a vocal person and was very confident in airing her opinions. Later she became withdrawn, worried about being judged, feared harsh remarks from insensitive people among others. Fortunately, she has now blossomed above negativity. All this has been possible after saying yes to her condition. She is no longer intimidated by the effects of her disorder, and is content with the fruits it has borne today.
