Managing Bipolar 1

[Shaz51]

awww @greenpea I feel soo much for your son , keep reassuring him my super @greenpea , like me with mr shaz when he says things xx

yes we have a couple on the carers forum too @eth, like @Former-Member, we call mr darcy and mr shaz "Twins "

[greenpea]

@Shaz51 mr darcy and mr shaz are very lucky men not many partners could do the walk and yes I constanty reassure son2 that he is no trouble poor love.

[frog]

Hello @Mazarita @greenpea @Shaz51 @Dadcaringalone @Georgie1 @eth and any other bipolar bears and their supporters who are around. I've been quite withdrawn over the last 24 hours and I'm aiming for an early night tonight. Just wanted to say you folks really encourage me. It's just so important to know that someone gets it. @eth what a huge week you've had; thinking of you and yours with the baby coming soon. Don't worry about what you can and can't do forum wise - looking after youself is your #1 job now and always! @greenpea what you were saying about your son really moved me. I am grieving for my 16 yo son as, after 6 years of troubles, he's been diagnosed with being on the autism spectrum, generalised anxiety and a mood disorder that is looking more and more like bipolar. He was crying last night and wanted me to stay with him. I often feel powerless to help, but being there is something. Someone said to me: be mum, that's what you can do. Take care all.

[eth]

Thanks @frog for understanding where I'm at.  I feel for you grieving about your son's troubles.  You're so right, sometimes all we can do is be there and be mum.   Does he live independently away from you?   Hope you and he ended up having a peaceful night together and that you got the rest you needed.

[frog]

Morning @eth 

Hope you're winding down a little from all the stress. How's your day looking? If you're not in a place where you want to respond, no problem. I don't actually wait for specific people to respond, because life!

My son lives with me and we both got better sleep last night. So important. I had an up week of the irritated variety the week before last, then down again over the last week. Nothing super drastic, but draining. I get jack of it, to put it mildly. I'm having a better start to the day. Got up when I woke up. Yesterday it took 2 hours.

Go well.

[eth]

@frog my day's looking good from here.  Very early night last night and started today with a wee fire at dawn - we have a firepit in our vegie garden.  Have done a few chores since then and am feeling more positive than I have all week.  Sometimes having a fire cleans out the negative from my mind.  I have a support worker this afternoon and hope to do my grocery shopping and still have time to go to a printmakers exhibition featuring owls.  Between now and then I will transplant some herbs to a more permanent spot in the garden.  Getting my hands in the dirt often grounds me when I've been triggered and on the roller coaster of bipolar life.

[Dadcaringalone]

Morning @eth@frog@greenpea

I wish you a great Sunday. Hope it’s very Sunny where you are today.

Had a really bad night with my son last night, long story but he gets triggered by dickheads who make him question his self-worth! I had to speak to him for a few hours to calm him down.

I’m off to the Australian War Memorial this afternoon because it’s the 100th year anniversary of my Great Grand Father’s death in the 1st world war. We are laying wreaths at the Last Post. He died on the 30th of Sep 1918. It’s a pity my son and daughter won’t attend by my father and brother are triggers for them.

Have a great Sunday and hope its Sunny whenever you are.

xxx ooo

[eth]

Good morning @Dadcaringalone sorry to hear about your son being triggered last night.  It's so good that you can be there for him the way you are.

Hope your day goes well with your memorial anniversary.

Yes it's sunny here today and milder temperature too.  Hope you have good weather where you are also.

[greenpea]

@Dadcaringalone  Good morning Dadcaringalone the weather here is beautiful too.  Sorry your son had to deal with d*kheads. People can be so uncaring and insensitive when it comes to mental health issues. They just don't get it. It was like this taxi driver who was saying to me I should become an uber driver .... number one my car is too old. Number too I have no sense of direction and 3 having strangers in the car and having to make conversation with them would freak me out. People don't get it. I just smiled and said something like oh yes that sounds like it could work for me  and left it at that.

Lovely that you could lay a wreath for your great grandfather that must have been so special for you. I hope the rest of your Sunday is calm and full of kindness.

Love greenpea xxx

[Dadcaringalone]

@greenpea

It was great seeing my family yesterday, especially my cousin who flew to the War Memorial from Adelaide! She really gets mental health because she’s been caring for my aunty who has bipolar her entire life. What she explained to me about my dad and his sister really explained a lot about why we didn’t see this part of the family because my father couldn’t deal with it. His attitude is “she’s bloody mad” and I can’t deal with her and he has the same attitude to my son, his grandson! My cousin also explained that my grandfather, his and my Aunty’s father had the same attitude to her mum, get better or stop being sick trying to push the person who has bipolar to just get better, not accepting that it’s an illness which you can’t force someone to recover instantly from! This explains a lot about why its the best decision that my son has nothing to do with my father and my alcoholic brother who are also like my grandpa. My father loves lecturing at other people and my brother thinks everybody else is the problem, especially people with mental health illnesses, but the who problem is with themselves. My brother’s self medicating with alcohol and my dad is blaming everything on everyone else. So proud of my son who is bravely getting on with life, taking his medication and facing all the ups and downs of life.

Have a great Monday. Thanks for all your online support greenpea, you are the best! I also send love to @eth and everyone else bravely dealing with bipolar on a daily basis. You are all some of the bravest people I know