My first time was about two years ago, the day after my 28th birthday.

I remember most of it, but there are some blurry parts in my memory. It was very traumatic. I started not sleeping due to stress. I barely ate. And that's when I had my first trip to inpatient care.

I still get flashbacks of all that went on. But your right it started long before that. Because looking back on my college and high school years I can see the steady course of mania and depression. I could accomplish so much in such a short time with little to no sleep and then I would crash for a couple days to recover. I thought that was normal behavior! I had no idea what a healthy lifestyle looked like or how to handle stress. Thankfully, I'm learning now.