[Goals2017]

I wanna know how many people have truly accepted this horrible illness we have or how many people feel like bipolar has ruined their life? I honestly have not accepted the fact I have to live with this and I don’t know how to accept It. I’m on the ruined my life part but really wanna move to acceptance.

I have regrets and complaints about my illness, for sure. I complained in a thread earlier today, but I only felt my life was ruined during my very worst years of my illness when everything in the world seemed horrible (my thinking was dysfunctional).

Perhaps my former career is a memory, and my husband and I will never be financially comfortable again, but I do my best to get as many simple pleasures out of life as possible. One day may suck, and the next seem great. I'm incredibly lucky to have my husband. I'd live in a tent with him if I had to.

[imaginethat]

I don't like some of the things that go along with bipolar disorder, like paranoia and going to the drug store once a month to get a handful of meds. But I don't feel like it's ruined my life.

Bipolar disorder and schizophrenia run in my family. I figure I'm just another casualty in the family. I got a bad luck of the draw.

It took me YEARS to accept my illness. I thought the psychiatrist was surely wrong. I thought I simply had some regular ups and downs. But after I had a particularly bad episode, I decided "Wow, my psych is right." And since then I've accepted it. I will admit that it still doesn't seem fair.

I hope you can come to terms with your illness.

[wiretwister]

I have let my dx affect myself in so many ways that I will never be that carefree lad again ... it has made me paranoid about every little thing in my life ... the little ups and downs of daily life become suspect ... I limit my chances to screw up ... limit social life ... try to be completely stress free as possible ( except work of course ) ... I doubt myself and seek out others to tell me how I am doing ... my self confidence is completely gone ... accepted or ruined ... neither ... just dramaticlly changed ... a shell of my former self ... kinda sad really ... I used to be so much fun ... in my younger days I described myself as a ping pong ball in a hurricane .... today ... a stick in the mud .... Tigger .

[Miss Laura]

Nope not accepted it. Been diagnosed 8 years and I'm still struggling.

I lost everything once diagnosed. My job cause my boss wouldn't accommodate me. My friends cause they couldn't accept it. My dignity. My flat cause I was so ill. Money I had worked hard to earn. Respect from people. The list goes on.

Cause of this illness I have lost who I am. I am very angry about it (if you couldn't tell). Maybe I would of been different if I didn't admit to things but who knows

[diamondprincess]

I am still at the it ruined my life phase. I am still angry and sad about it. But, since it has been a few years now, I have gotten better. I have learned to create some normalcy. I find that I am able to bounce back from things better by doing things that make me happy, even if its not the healthiest. For instance, I love food, so when I am down I may eat more than usual and in that moment I feel better, so I am able to bounce back quicker. I guess that part of the illness I accept (the ups and downs), because I know I will never be where I was, so if I do something detrimental (as long as it does not affect other people) I don't feel as bad.

[Movingon69]

I've accepted and feel, personally, like I ruined my life with the choices I made and the resistance to get help for 40 years. I was only recently dx and it was actually a relief because then I understood influenced my decision and could work on fixing things and doing better.