Letting go of the past can be tough. I'm not bipolar, but I suffer from clinical depression and have made many mistakes in the past (some linked to the depression and some not). I have lost a couple of jobs. I did not do well in college, because I struggled with time management.

I have found that living in the past isn't helpful. What is helpful for me is saying "This too shall pass" when I am in a depressive episode. There are times it seems hopeless but I remind myself that things have got better in the past and they will again.