[Victoria'smom]

What are some of your good traits bipolar has given you?

[Andysmom]

Empathy for what other people might be going through.

my creative ability!

since i've had it, i've been able to write really creative poetry- and i've been writing now for a long time about my experiences.

also it's made me more aware of things.... like for example, you take extra thought to how you are feeling when you are feeling good, say, and you also apreciate what you have more. or at least that's how i see it.

[monochromatic]

I'm really really great at teaching rowdy middle schoolers (because I'm hypo in school)

sadly.. this will probably change once I stabilize.

[BipolaRNurse]

My ability to sense and appreciate things that the average person doesn't, and then to be able to write about it.

[Tapering]

I think creativity and empathy are the things it has given me.

[SillyKitty]

Originally Posted by BipolaRNurse

My ability to sense and appreciate things that the average person doesn't, and then to be able to write about it.

Ditto for me

[Victoria'smom]

The ability to accept people as they are in that moment.

[manicplanet]

My bipolar has given me a greater understanding of.. myself. I have been clean from all substances excluding my prescribed medications since 2011 and have never felt better!

I don't think I ever would have found the courage to get clean at the age of 21 had it not been for my diagnosis.

So yeah, I am truly grateful for that.

[anneo59]

Originally Posted by Miguel'smom

The ability to accept people as they are in that moment.

a strong sense of compassion and empathy, I've been told

[anneo59]

Originally Posted by Miguel'smom

The ability to accept people as they are in that moment.

a strong sense of compassion and empathy, I've been told

[Alokin]

I think that it has helped me overcome any fear or shyness I have had from doing things that are intimidating, but interesting to me. My aversion to approaching certain people is overcome.

On the flip side I have been able to keep myself from spending too much time or money on frivolous things when I finally do come back down.

For example, I have been a cyclist since I was a kid. I got out of it for a while and picked it back up about 4 yard ago. Once I started getting fast again I decided I wanted to start doing group rides. All the rides in my area are groups of strong looking men with fancy bikes. Being hypomanic I just went out there instead of avoiding it like I had been for a year. Now I go out there and crush guys all the time, it is a great feeling for a 5 foot tall girl.

[middlepath]

I can echo the creative and empathetic qualities. In addition, i can add that when hypo/manic i get this exhilarating sense of the connectedness of all living things that is so pure, so beautiful. Only a mind like ours can experience this sense from what I have heard .

[Resident Bipolar]

Originally Posted by Andysmom

Empathy for what other people might be going through.

^ This. I believe my experiences make me a kinder, wiser person. From bullying, to hospital and from discrimination to suicide. Of course, I'm still only 19 and have a lot to learn but I'm 100% that the experiences I've had so far have made me much more of an empathetic person. As someone with Aspergers Syndrome, I used to find it very hard to be empathetic, though sympathy wasn't a problem. However: I feel a lot more in touch with my emotions and the emotions of the people in my life.

I also discussed something that I experience with my social worker and my psychiatrist. It seems I tend to be able to analyse people and make a mostly correct judgement on them within a couple of hours of meeting them. Apparently it's due not only to my experiences with people of a plethora of backgrounds and personalites through my life, but also because both my conditions lead to me taking a step back and just taking everything in before I begin to fully interact.

This serves me well in society. Quite a few of my friends had been sucked in by new people that I deemed to be bad, or not one to befriend. It sometimes take a few months or even a year, but eventually my friends realised that I was spot on the majority of the time. In fact: ask them. They'll all agree that my opinion of people tends to turn out to be justified. They were victims of violence, theft, backstabbing and more until they realised these eight or so people were exactly the people I decided they were. Due to my advanced insight into the personalities of new people, I tended to be able to avoid all that, because I refused to fall for it.

You probably think that's some delusion but my psychiatrist doesn't seem to think so!

I went off track here.

[punkybrewster6k]

I would never be an artist without it. That is for sure. Im so afraid of getting on meds for fear of loosing my imagination and talent. It pays the bills. Yet I know I need them.
Do you have any idea how many writers, musicians, artists and poets for thousands of years are suspected of being bp???

Sent from my SCH-S720C using Tapatalk 2

[johnthorne1539]

Ironically, self-discipline and self-control. Having never taken medication, I've learned by and large to keep myself in check even in my worst moments--though I do better with the hypo outbursts lately than the depressive--and so, while stable, I am generally able to accomplish a lot.

humility

[BPandMe]

Definately empathy and compassion, a big heart, non-jugemental thinking, acceptant of all, strength beyond words, the ability to keep pushing forward.

[certainmind]

Originally Posted by SillyKitty

Ditto for me

I think bipolar gives me creative ability. But, my question is: what is latuda? And, how is it working for you. I'm on the old crappy standby lithium abilify with a little lamotrigine. If you don't want to answer that is okay too. I just want to know what latuda is.

[Trippin2.0]

Originally Posted by johnthorne1539

Ironically, self-discipline and self-control. Having never taken medication, I've learned by and large to keep myself in check even in my worst moments--though I do better with the hypo outbursts lately than the depressive--and so, while stable, I am generally able to accomplish a lot.

Ditto to self-control. Its given me the ability to tackle this med free, and is a very improtant survival tool.

[gayleggg]

It's given me a lot of good times, most of which I regret. Otherwise, I can't think of much that it has done for me, except make me miserable most of the time.

Sorry for being so negative.