It's been about a year since I was diagnosed Bipolar and I followed my doctor's advice about taking the year off from work to focus on recovery. Now I'm at a point where I want to do more than my simple routine like go to school or get a job.

Do you ever feel frustrated with your limitations?

How do I push myself while still taking good care of myself?

[wiretwister]

could you volunteer part time ... maybe choose something you would enjoy ... get used to going out regularly .. if too much cut back ... or a very limited part time job ... again a low stress something you enjoy job ... or make your own ... dog walker or such ...

[otroo]

I'm not limited I just don't push yourself to hard. You want to go to school don't take on a full course load just take one or two classes to make sure you can handle it then increase it as you see fit. This is my plan anyways. Good luck to you.

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

I like to forget that I'm bipolar affected and that I can do anything I want within my capabilities. I just take my pills and walk out the door.

[BeyondtheRainbow]

If you want to try something aimed at going back to the work force you can check into your state's vocational rehab program (different states have different names for it). They set you up with assessments, materials to help you succeed, support services, almost anything imaginable if they feel it will help you find a career, get the training for it and then work in that field. You can refer yourself but there is usually some waiting time involved.

[WibblyWobbly]

I feel frustrated and I am terrified of failing. Be kind to yourself and ease back in. Everyone here has some great suggestions. I'll add that you can get a temp job for a little while. You can get used to having that structure again but you won't have the pressure of trying to impress anybody. Usually nobody really pays attention to temps because they've already mentally said goodbye to you.

Thanks everyone! I have started the work wellness program through my county mental health services, we shall see how it goes!

When you find a solution let me know. Ive been like that for 6 years unable to work and feeling useless. Im embarassed when someone asks what do you do and I answer well... I dont work. They give me THAT look.

[BipolaRNurse]

I just tell people I'm a "retired" nurse. Nobody needs to know I'm on disability and can't work.

[Bpfroggy]

I find it helpful to make sure there is SOME slack in my schedule so that I can cut back if need be. I am going to school full time right now as well as working part time - 8 hours a week. However, my classes are only three days a week with the rest of the time meant for studying/doing HW, so there is a bit of leeway there in terms of when my school work gets done and how much else gets done. I try to do as much as I can in terms of housework etc., but if I am too tired, that has to be the thing I cut down on (a messy house just can't be my priority right now). I try make sure I get enough sleep and take care of myself first, because if I don't I know I'll burn out and end up with a problem.

Can you start slow, like take one or two classes or work one or two days a week, to see how that goes? That way you can increase or decrease from there as needed?

Good luck to you - I know it isn't easy!

[cmorales]

Originally Posted by Shawkat2009

When you find a solution let me know. Ive been like that for 6 years unable to work and feeling useless. Im embarassed when someone asks what do you do and I answer well... I dont work. They give me THAT look.

I HATE that look! And, at least in my case, the lectures that follow. I usually respond to the question with, "I help my grandparents." (I do) but that is always inevitably followed by that second, "No, but what do you DO?" When they learn I don't have a "real job", the lectures on employment begin yet again with "suggestions" on where to look for work. It's almost as if, not only do people not understand, it's like they don't want to understand.

[Coco72]

Originally Posted by BipolaRNurse

I just tell people I'm a "retired" nurse. Nobody needs to know I'm on disability and can't work.

I used to be a nurse too. Then I left that career because I knew I could no longer handle it. I then tried Retail Assistant Manager which I managed for 2 years before breaking down again. During this stage I hit mania and went to makeup school. Finished by the skin of my nose...mentally of course. Now I'm going through ECT in hopes to get better and then what???I think I need to come to terms with not being able to work no matter what he job. This brings me down. I miss being a nurse.

[Coco72]

From these posts it sounds like you have come to terms with not working. How do you all do this? Can you let me in on the secret? As soon as I feel well I want to work but it NEVER lasts very long and I always burn a lot of bridges on the way out. Grateful for any tips on how to come to terms with not working.

[cmorales]

I, for one, have not come to terms with my unemployment status. It actually makes me feel like a huge loser. Bipolar was a huge reason for most of my adult life, but, now that I'm stable, I'm finding my social issues (social anxiety and general lack of people skills) and general motivation problems (which I think is medication related; I'm going to bring it up with my pdoc on Friday) to be hugely inhibiting.

In truth, as lame as it may sound, my dream, if you will, is to merely be able to hold down a steady job like any "regular Joe." My old therapist was working on my social issues with me, but she left to go work elsewhere and my current therapist really just has me on 30 min check-in sessions to make sure my bipolar is in check, every 3 months or so.

I heard about some cool (at least in my mind) job gassing up and cleaning trash trucks a while back. But looking more recently, I can only find such job openings out of state and, being chronically unemployed, I cannot afford to look into such things right now.

[BeyondtheRainbow]

For me I came to terms with it through a horrible year of being suicidal and terrified and angry. Mostly now I am sad that I had to give up my career. But I realized first that I am and always will be an occupational therapist. And I know that I did some good things in that capacity and while I wish I could have done more of them doing good things is a pretty good thing to have done in life. I also just have to look back at my work history. From my first job after grad school until the 6 months leave I took from my last job before I had to leave for good it was a mess of job changes, being fired twice, major problems at work, stress I couldn't handle and which made my bipolar worse, etc.

Not working made a difference in my episodes, frequency and severity, for a good long time which helped. And then this one hit and my therapist has reminded me several times that this just answers the question of "can I work" very clearly and right when my SSDI renewal is being done. And so I know that if I tried working and something like this hit I'd immediately not be able to work, even if it was just part-time and that just isn't an option. Not that I haven't kept my license because I can't bear not to but it just was too much and I think I did it until that was so clear that there was no other option available.

But it is still hard. I've made myself learn to not blink when I say I'm an occupational therapist but I'm not working now because I'm disabled. I just don't care what people think (except politicians, I send angry notes to politicians when they say stupid stuff about being with mental health disabilities) because I know that I did the best I could do for as long as I could do it. And that's all that I could do.

I'm pretty much at peace with it except when I start missing it and get sad or when my brain decides to replay every bad decision I ever made while working or that kind of thing (makes me feel like a failure although I wasn't).

How is ECT going?

Originally Posted by Coco72

From these posts it sounds like you have come to terms with not working. How do you all do this? Can you let me in on the secret? As soon as I feel well I want to work but it NEVER lasts very long and I always burn a lot of bridges on the way out. Grateful for any tips on how to come to terms with not working.

[scatterbrained04]

Originally Posted by AlwaysChanging2

I like to forget that I'm bipolar affected and that I can do anything I want within my capabilities. I just take my pills and walk out the door.

LOL This is what I do as well

Originally Posted by BeyondtheRainbow

If you want to try something aimed at going back to the work force you can check into your state's vocational rehab program (different states have different names for it). They set you up with assessments, materials to help you succeed, support services, almost anything imaginable if they feel it will help you find a career, get the training for it and then work in that field. You can refer yourself but there is usually some waiting time involved.

Thank you so much for this advice, I followed it and found a vocational training program through my county. I'm now working 7 hours a week!

[BeyondtheRainbow]

I'm so glad to hear that!

[Mountainbard]

Baby steps... write up a realistic plan... don't overdue it, and don't beat yourself up if/when you don't do everything... progress is what matters, not being perfect.

[Unrigged64072835]

Originally Posted by BipolaRNurse

I just tell people I'm a "retired" nurse. Nobody needs to know I'm on disability and can't work.

Same here. I'm "retired". I don't have to say my retirement is from my disability.

Originally Posted by Mountainbard

Baby steps... write up a realistic plan... don't overdue it, and don't beat yourself up if/when you don't do everything... progress is what matters, not being perfect.

You are so right, its hard not to want perfection though! I think I'm a perfectionist by nature, thankfully I am learning how to value progress over perfection. Thanks for this!

[Teddy Bear]

Just start part time. A couple of hours a week at a job or take one single class to see how it works.