Adjusting to the ‘New normal’

We hear this phrase being used quite a lot with recent events the “New Normal.”
So what is it like having bipolar and adjusting to your “new normal”?!
Having bipolar is a game-changer, but you still have the power to decide where to set your goalposts for a fulfilling future. It took a long time for me to come to terms with and accepting the fact that I have a mental illness. But lately, I have been looking beyond my bipolar.

With the skills and support to manage my symptoms, I am ready to make the most of my life and my abilities. There’s an end to saying “I survived the day”.
Now I’m more focused on what I can do to thrive. I’m not necessarily letting go of my struggle with bipolar disorder, but I am learning to thrive inside of it… I feel more optimistic than I have in a long time. In other words, I am embracing this “new normal.”

Basic milestones like keeping routine, keeping your home organized and staying in contact with friends and family can begin to feel out of reach, being physically fit and healthy. A bipolar diagnosis doesn’t mean you have to say goodbye to your hopes and dreams. With patience, commitment, and a plan for setting realistic goals you can achieve anything you set out to do. It might take a little longer, and you might need some motivation to get there.

Letting go. It’s important to take the time, to give yourself the time to be sad before moving on to make adjustments, before thinking about how you can have a really happy life. When I stopped comparing myself to others, my ‘new normal’ became less painful. I let go of the past and the ‘what ifs’, ‘what if I had done it differently’. You can’t change the past, but you can change how your ‘today’ is going to be. Keep it real. Lower your expectations too much and you’ll stay stuck. Aim too high and failure is almost certain. You need a just-right plan where you want to go with what you’re capable of right now.

When a goal starts to take over someone’s time day or night, takes priority over having good relationships or costs too much money or energy, that’s when you should worry. Sometimes you need to tone things down a little bit, keep it real. A new path. Start by being more gentle with, and accepting of, yourself…to a certain extent, we all live wanting other people’s respect, but that craving can be more intense if you’re feeling insecure… A good way to set new goals is to look back at the ones you’ve already met a lot of times. They’ll be things that, six months before, you didn’t think you could do. Just because I have this illness doesn’t mean I have to feel sorry for myself and I don’t want other people to feel sorry for me, either.

Email me and tell me all about the goals you want to achieve and how you want to do it. Together we can help each other!
Follow me on facebook@mswillowbipolar
Love
Ms Bipolar x