The artwork above drawn by me… Susan V. Walz (using graphite pencil and acrylic paint)
Welcome to my blog of my personal journey story of living with Bipolar Disorder. I hope you will enjoy reading my blog of my thoughts, words, ideas, and experiences I have encountered throughout my life and in the future of living with Bipolar Disorder. Hopefully, you will find my blog to be creative, entertaining, educational, and heart felt. I pray my words, pictures, quotes, videos and music will inspire you, touch your heart, entertain you, and teach you new ideas, wisdom and perspectives of living with Bipolar Disorder and mental illness.
Reasons why I chose to write a blog:
“There is no greater agony than bearing an untold story inside you.” — Maya Angleou
- I am very excited to write and share my story of my experiences from the past and in the future of what my life has been like living with Bipolar Disorder.
- I love to write and I am a very creative person, usually. Therefore, I thought it would be fun to create and design this website. I also enjoy deciding what to add to my blog, such as finding inspiring, pretty, or funny pictures, quotes, videos or music.
- Writing is very therapeutic for me.
- I pray you will find Jesus and learn to live your life for Him. Jesus saved my life so many times. I am only alive because of Him. You have to have a test before you can have a testimony. Bipolar Disorder is definitely my test and boy do I have a beautiful testimony. Thank you Jesus.
- I hope by sharing my story you will learn that you a not alone and you will relate to a lot of my story and personal journeys and experiences I have lived through and survivied.
- If I can survive, so can you and all of us. We are all in this together and can all help each other through what ever we are going through and experiencing at the time. We are all Mental Illness Survivors.
- By realizing that you are not alone, you will learn more about yourself, Bipolar Disorder and your acceptance of Bipolar Disorder. The first step of recovery is acceptance and is the first step in your successful life and journey of living with Bipolar Disorder.
- I have seen some Blogs where it seems that the people writing their blogs have perfect lives or at least really good lives before and after their recovery. Well that is not me, so I want to write a blog that is completely honest and open about what it is like to live with severe Bipolar Disorder and random recurrent symptoms that I live with daily.
- I want my blog to show others the facts and honesty of how my recovery and my symptoms are an ongoing daily struggle and battle. Sometimes my Hypomania is good and happy and lasts for a while, but eventually my depression returns rearing its very horrific ugly monster head again. It usually and eventually comes back to haunt me and bite me hard.
- I want to share the good, positive and sometimes funny things about Bipolar Disorder. Yes, there are positives about Bipolar Disorder and we can find them and learn to embrace and love them about ourselves. I also want to openly and honestly share the sorrows, losses, loneliness and many struggles of Bipolar Disorder, as well.
- I want to share my imperfections and flaws and questions I have as I go through my daily life exposing myself openly and honestly with all my raw emotions exposed open and bare for the world to read. I am not afraid to share me, all of me in hopes that I will help someone.
- I want this to be a blog, a place for you to share your comments and thoughts. Also, you can ask any questions about Bipolar Disorder and your life you might have.
- My dream to write this blog and share my story is that I will be able to inspire others to persevere, live, thrive and survive. I have survived living with Bipolar Disorder 1 since my diagnosis 24 years ago. I am a Bipolar Disorder/Mental Illness Survivor and so are all of you. You are all Bipolar Survivors no matter where you are in your diagnosis and in your recovery.
“Think big, dream big, believe big, and the results will be big.” –anonymous
“Get enough sleep and DREAM BIG. Wake up, say a prayer and work on that dream.” –Leio Mer LaCorte
Who is this Blog For
- Anyone.
- People with Bipolar Disorder 1 with Mixed Episodes, Rapid Cycling, some Psychotic Features, PTSD, Generalized Anxiety Disorder, and Personality Disorder. That is me. (I have been diagnosed with all of those labels…. Wow! That is a lot. huh?)
- People with all types of Bipolar Disorder and Mental Illness
- Family members and/or friends with Bipolar Disorder or any type of Mental Illness or Substance Abuse
- Professionals in the Mental Health field
- Police Officers
- Doctors, Nurses and Social Workers
- Educators
- The Public
- ANYONE and EVERYONE………
My blog is for everyone in the world… everyone of all ages, race, genders, religions, and socioeconomic levels. The time is now. There is no more time for baby steps. We need to make big giant leaps and bounds to increase awareness, educate, and reduce the stigma of mental illness to everyone in the world.
This is also a very good tool to educate professionals in the field or any type of profession because let’s be honest you can learn so much more from someone living with Bipolar Disorder and a Mental Illness of any kind then you can ever learn from reading the DSM V or any other book or reading material or watching any movie or video. I am definitely not in any of those books, movies or videos. My story and everything about me is not in any of those books. My story, my history, diagnosis and/or medications do not fit any typical definition or medication text book or anything a manual suggests or recommends should happen. It won’t work. My case is very unique. There is no one else like me and there is no one else that has a story or situation exactly like mine. I am unique. I am me…
Welcome to my Blog. I hope you enjoy it.
May your blessings overflow each and every minute of everyday forever and always!!!