My two best women friends have bipolar disorder. One is on an approved list for a kidney transplant, and is depressed most of the time. Both of them are talented and gifted, but do not actively do the things they are good at...sewing for one, knitting and art for the other. The woman who doesn't have kidney failure does things to endanger herself. She has been involved with three successive dangerous men who live in the building where she lives. She promised herself no more romance with neighbors, but she keeps doing it and then has a really hard time when these guys show their true colors and become abusive. She also has a son who is on drugs and alcohol and is a homeless fugitive from the law in 2 states. For the second time now, she is harboring him in the publicly subsidized building where the lives, sneaking him in and out so he can smoke. If she gets caught, she will herself likely become homeless. I'm really close with this friend and have been for years, but she is self destructing, which she didn't use to do. I do stuff ...things...knitting, learned to crochet and finished a vest in 3 weeks, play a musical instrument, have created a band, and more. I really like my band members, but do not anticipate becoming close personal friends with any of them. I would like to get to know other women who have talents that they pursue, whether they have bipolar or not. Someone I can discuss our lives and passions with. I do rapid cycling, so am not totally stable, and get real down several times a month now. My pdoc and I are trying to get me back in balance, and I am working on not over-or under-commiting to activities.

[cashart10]

It is a great idea to get involved in things; it can sometimes be a distraction from moods. I should be taking notes! Anyway, as far as meeting people with talents, can you find local interest groups? Maybe online or at local businesses or churches? You could also try your local DBSA support groups. Then you can both make friends and receive support.

Thanks cashart, I'll try a MeetUp group, maybe. I figured out a pattern to knit a scarf. I got up 2 hours early today because I'm obsessing about bad stuff.

[Nightside of Eden]

It is frustrating when people we care about do destructive things, but unfortunately there's nothing we can do to control their choices, or the ultimate consequences of those choices. It is very sad when they have talents which are going to waste.

Personally, I do thousands of words of creative writing each day despite being bipolar. Unfortunately I can't manage working outside the home at this time (or maybe ever), but I still keep up with my hobbies.

Originally Posted by Nightside of Eden

It is frustrating when people we care about do destructive things, but unfortunately there's nothing we can do to control their choices, or the ultimate consequences of those choices. It is very sad when they have talents which are going to waste.

Personally, I do thousands of words of creative writing each day despite being bipolar. Unfortunately I can't manage working outside the home at this time (or maybe ever), but I still keep up with my hobbies.

Wow! Thousands of words of creative writing! How wonderful that must be. I'm a good writer -- mostly non-fiction stories. I'm a good poet, too, when the muse strikes me. I have a stack of poems dating back to the 1970s, about 2 inches thick. I'm planning to make them into a book. I tried taking a novel writing class, but dropped out -- I just have NO creative story writing talent anymore. Not since I was in junior high school. Haven't done poetry for a couple of years. Most of my poetry is "downer" stuff. And I'm not in a really horrible enough mood to write any poems now. For while, though, I was writing a poem a day. Each day, the poem had the same title, "A Poem of Now." I filled up one or two notebooks of these neatly hand written little poems. My main interest is music, but I also draw. I'll be starting a knitted scarf soon, too. Yes, it's sad when people do self destructive things. But I crave a woman friend or two who takes care of her health.