Sorry you're struggling so much

I have an interesting story which I believe is very inspiring...

I went to a Neural Interfaces conference 2 years ago, which was amazing and life changing. It was all about engineers, doctors, and scientists finding ways to improve the quality of life for individuals who suffer from varying degrees of paralysis. A lot of the goals were to find ways to cure their paralyses (or cure the neurological illnesses which caused their paralyses). However, there were equally as many goals to find ways to simple ways improve their quality of life, such as building "smarter" wheelchairs or developing mind-reading devices (some of which actually work to a degree, if you look up some of the latest research). And then there were electrodes that can temporarily stimulate nerves to allow the patients to lift their arms and legs, for example, without actually curing their paralyses. Basically, it was a workaround.

Anyway, at the end of the conference, there were interviews with the actual patients. A lot of them, surprisingly, said they didn't care to be cured of paralysis. I was shocked. They were actually very scared and wary of finding "cures". (Basically scared of death since there is higher risk associated with the types of surgeries these doctors etc were suggesting.) So all they wanted was the ability to regain their life. For example, one of the women loved playing tennis, but was paralyzed from the sternum down after she was hit by a pickup truck on her bike, so she said that she "slouched" a lot in her wheelchair. She also had limited movement in her arms. So all she cared about was being able to sit upright and move her arms a little more so that she could play tennis again. She even outright said didn't care if she had to stay in a wheelchair. She just wanted the ability to move her arms so she could do what she loved again. She said she was willing to use electrodes or some kind of machinery if that's what it took. And she did. She worked with a team of doctors, scientists, and engineers to utilize electrodes in a very intelligent way to let her play tennis again. It was incredible. (Wish I could remember her name! Don't know if you've heard of her.)

It made me realize, "Hey, maybe I shouldn't focus on cures, but instead focus on finding ways to regain the little things in life, even if those ways don't cure or improve the condition."

I believe that, even though bipolar causes many of us to "deteriorate" in many ways, we can find ways to get back what we "lost". So, to me, it's not about cures; it's about being resourceful. We can use what we have around us -- family, friends, neighbors, everyday objects, pets (whatever) -- to help us achieve those goals. We don't have to do it all by ourselves. Those paralyzed people couldn't help improve their lives on their own; they did it with help.

So screw what your therapist said about "you may not get better". That is useless and irrelevant information IMO. If you believe you can't do it, then you most certainly can't do it. I mean, if you say you can't do it, then you're giving up. But don't give up. If you want that degree, then you have to say you CAN do it. No ifs, ands, or buts. Mark Wahlberg got his high school degree at 41 with the help of family, co-workers, and friends. He didn't do it by himself, and neither should you. If you need help, don't be afraid to reach out for it! I think you'll be surprised with how many people will come to your aid.

If you want to do something in social services or healthcare, you can always find ways to volunteer or be an advocate! That will let you set your own hours so that if something comes up, you can care for yourself.