As Friedrich Nietzsche (suspected BP) used to say: "what doesn't kill you, makes you stronger".

I don't wake up at any particular time: much of dealing with BP is building flexibility into your life.

And I have the good fortune that I was pretty mad from a young age, so I could somewhat anticipate the storm: I never did as told, knew not just my weaknesses but more importantly my strengths, and learned to be as independent as possible and not to care about what anyone says, even when severely depressed.

I learned to live in isolation. I learned what friendships are possible and which aren't (pretty much only psychotic spectrum friends or hyperthymic). Don't ever get alienated, know my best and my worst.

I decided I would always have to live alone. Interactions with people should never be expected—great sacrifice. I take it. Flexibility. Not normal, against human nature? Not mine.

My life, my way and gonna keep it no matter how bad it gets.

I learned to enjoy soul-crushing, -draining and mental suffocating challenges and realise that the challenge, the game, isn't over at the end of one episode. I realised I had to use my mania instead of being scared of it, to connect all the dots, all manic episodes. To keep relative focus, yet function doing things that most people see as all over the place. And be successful.

It is all about a believe in yourself that you can keep on connecting the dots. Makes you one person. Gives you pride. Not just a person and an so-called illness.

I learned that all forms of psychosis tell you something meaningful (except maybe particular hallucinations, but just the phenomenon itself is very useful information).

I learned that science was the only way to both keep my sanity and that it could encompass every manic idea or delusion I ever had. I still use all my ideas. All my misconceptions.

Use your weaknesses to your advantage. There are numerous advantages.

One advantage is that we know BP and people try hard to know BP (and SZA/BP) and don't have it. One up.

And try to be as independent as possible.

Romanticising BP and human suffering will learn you to deal with it and use it.

Never romanticise ending it. Not in any way, by any means.

It is such a big part of us that you will destroy yourself in the process, literally or figuratively and essentially.