22/01/2010 by karen.

I have known Lee for almost a year, and during that time we have become very good friends and business partners.Lee told me about his Bipolar very early on, before we even considered becoming business partners, which I now know is unusual, as he generally only tells people when he has got to know them well and trusts them. So when we discussed joining forces, I read books about the subject, and found out exactly what the implications might be.After reading, I was a little worried that Lee didn’t seem to have a support network, his family seemed to be uninterested in his condition, and had even declined an invitation from his therapist to understand it better. I was also aware that Lee was following none of the recommended advice regarding diet and health to improve his condition.However serious Lee’s bipolar may be, it is part of him, but doesn’t, and shouldn’t define him, and that is what he struggles with.We have grown close over the last year, and I see him as my little brother now, and feel very protective of him. My husband and children see him as part of our family group now, which makes work feel like a family business, which is nice.I have seen Lee in manic and depressive cycles, and find both equally hard to deal with. It saddens me to see him depressed, and knowing there is nothing I can do to help, except offer support when he needs it, I tend to ignore it and carry on as normal. This is probably not the recognised way of dealing with it, but hey! Mania is worse, as he generally turns into an arsehole, and on one occasion almost caused the end of our business partnership. He can be incredibly hurtful, arrogant and rude, and although I can advise him to shut up, he is unable to, making the situation worse. I love Lee like my brother but that doesn’t stop me wanting to do him physical harm on occasion! He is twice the size of me so I would have little impact, which is probably the reason I haven’t tried, yet.Bipolar is a great excuse, many times there has been things that have needed doing and the bipolar card has been played. Doesn’t wash with me. That’s just anxiety – of course you can.Lee probably needs a more sympathetic friend than me, who will sympathise and focus on the bipolar, but I see Lee, not the bipolar, and try not to let him let it rule his life.It’s hard having a friend with bipolar, but no harder than a friend with any disability. The bipolar isn’t who he is, it’s who he lives with.

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21/01/2010 by admin.

Hello all,Im traveling down to London tomorrow to go to a breakfast networking meeting part of www.4networking.biz and I’ve got to say it’s got me a little nervous not so much the meeting which involves a 40 second elevated pitch about Beacon for Business or the 10 minute 4sight (insight into specialist field) no as terrifying as all that sounds (and believe me that used to scare me rigid) its the travelling that has me all anxious.I get anxious about whether I’ll get lost (even though I’ve checked and rechecked the maps and route) whether or not trains and tubes will be on time and how I’ll cope being away from home!  Which really hurts when I used to enjoy travelling so much and I used to be able to pick up of a weekend and disappear away somewhere.A way around it is to use some of the relaxation techniques I have learnt some good music on the trusty Ipod and to make sure I stay somewhere I feel safe and comfortable. When your out of your comfort zone try and be as relaxed as possible and keep your stress levels as low as you can it always helps.What I’ve learnt during my long road to some form of recovery though is to not live by the used to, I did this before, or I enjoyed this before the diagnosis.  Now I live for what I’ve got and who I have become and am thankful (on the days when I’m well ) for my health and my friends.So thank you all

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19/01/2010 by admin.

I have decided to write this new blog to try and get a handle on the bipolar I am living with and also where possible to try and help anyone else if possible.
I’m going to be really honest in the writing of this blog and at times probably brutally honest!At no point will I be trying to offend or upset anyone but I guarantee at some point this may happen.I’m going to be helped along the way by my close friend K who is going to guest post on occasion from a sane point of view to give you guys a perspective of how it is to cope with someone who has bipolar and how to deal with someone who has bipolar!I’m hopeful that this blog is going to be cathartic and is also going to serve as a journal or record to help me try and spot some of my triggers in order to better diagnose when I am cycling between moods and what causes the mood swings and to see if I can’t work towards keeping the mood swings at a minimum.So grab a ticket take your seat and hold on tight its bound to be a bumpy ride

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