Category: Overcoming Depression (and Bipolar Disorder)

Mental health is important to me. I know what it’s like to not feel in control of my thoughts and emotions. It’s not very pleasant. It affects how I work. It affects my personal relationships. It affects my quality of life. It keeps me from living life to the fullest and living out my purpose and helping others.

There are many ways to address mental health. I’ve addressed my mental health in different ways.

• I’ve sought professional help through therapy and medical treatments
• I’ve sought healing through faith and prayers
• I’ve made lifestyle changes to improve my sleep, manage stress, improved my nutrition and incorporated phytotherapy (the use of plants and other natural substances) in my life 

I’ve found that improving my physical health greatly improved my mental health. When I first saw a psychiatrist when I was 18, he emphasized the importance of taking care of my physical health and that it was essential for my recovery. Talk therapy and other treatments alone may not be enough. If I wanted the best recovery, I needed to address my poor eating habits (nutrition), sedentary lifestyle, and sleep.

Before I share my story, I first like to say that I am huge proponent for mental wellness and seeking professional help and treatment. In another post, I shared about my experience working with psychiatrists. I found relief through talk therapy and taking mood stabilizers. I also shared my negative experience with discontinuing medication and the problems it caused. I am not a medical professional or a doctor, and this post should not be taken as medical advice. I’m just sharing my personal experience, views, and journey.

As such here is my Disclaimer:

Disclaimer: I am not a doctor and this post should not be considered medical advice. Please consult with a physician or other healthcare professional regarding any medical or health related diagnosis or treatment option. 

I was diagnosed with Bipolar Disorder when I was 18 years old. I found some success with conventional treatments. Eventually, I became dissatisfied with the side effects. Based on my options at the time, I decided to discontinue treatment altogether. I share my story in a previous post.

I never considered the possibility that I had a mental disorder growing up. From the 6th grade on I had behavior issues. Most of the time, I was an obedient student. I did well in my studies. I was bit of a bookworm. I acted out occasionally. My actions were disregarded as raging hormones during puberty, but there were instances where my behavior was out of social norm. I disrupted class, yelled at teachers, walked out of class, and threatened other students. When I was upset I harmed myself, by slamming my head into the wall, desk, or locker. Those are some of the things I’m willing to share (there are other things that are too cringeworthy to share online). 

I didn’t realize it at the time, but I had a lot of stressors in my life at the time. I moved to a lot of different homes, and changed schools several times. Both my aunt and my mother had cancer. My aunt passed away that year. My family was going through financial hardship. Although, we downsized, went to the food bank, pulled out of private school, we weren’t destitute. In fact, we were pretty blessed. My mother went into partial remission and all seemed well. Unfortunately my mother’s cancer came back more aggressive by the time I was in the 8th grade. My parents flew to a different state to seek treatment. We moved a couple times after that. My mother passed away when I was in the 9th grade. I worked everyday after school. Sometimes I’d sleep in class. My behavior problems continued, but again most of the time, I was an obedient student. It was just split moments under stress, when something triggered me. I sometimes saw the school counselor, or spent time with friends and teachers. While others overcome similar challenges. I did not know how to process my emotions. Often ignoring them and distracting myself with hobbies, work or schoolwork. I didn’t think there was a problem until I had a nervous breakdown after I graduated from high school.