advertisement
Reply
Thread Tools Display Modes
Soupe du jour
Elder
Soupe du jour has no updates.
 
Member Since: Jun 2015
Location: Czechia
Posts: 5,149
8 yr Member
13.4k hugs
given
PC PoohBah!
Default Oct 22, 2020 at 10:10 AM
  #1
Many here in the bipolar forum know that I'm in the midst of a major change in my life. That includes, preparations for a home sale and a move to another country where I must improve my Czech (and possibly future French) language skills. Plus other stuff (leaving family in the US, some culture shock, etc.)

I don't want this to be a place where I post daily updates or thoughts. Rather a place to address and share each others' strategies and experiences with major life changes. I do really need advice and/or encouragement and hope, whether it be coping skills, what not to do, or how you got past shock/mental health setbacks. Stories of your major life changes would be helpful to read, if you wish to share. I see this topic as very relevant to bipolar disorder since such major changes often trigger hypomanic/manic, mixed, and/or depressive episodes.

Soupe du jour is offline   Reply With QuoteReply With Quote
 
Hugs from:
Anonymous41462, bpcyclist, Fuzzybear, Yaowen
 
Thanks for this!
bpcyclist

advertisement
*Beth*
catches the flowers
*Beth* is practicing healthy breathing for brain, mind, body, spirit.
 
Member Since: Jul 2019
Location: Downtown Vibes, California
Posts: 15,701 (SuperPoster!)
3 yr Member
23.7k hugs
given
PC PoohBah!
Default Oct 22, 2020 at 12:33 PM
  #2
I went through a major life change in 2015. I was renting a cute little 3 bedroom house, which was in a ghetto in a city. I'd lived there for 7 years and one night there was a home invasion. It was terrifying. I was so extremely frightened that I felt numb. Checked out. Most of my possessions were stolen...my wedding dress, the precious hand-crafted dress my sister had sewn for me to bring my newborn babies home from the hospital in. Baby clothes I had saved.

I won't even take up a bunch of time and space to explain the horror of going through such an experience.

Much of my clothing, jewelry...the list is almost endless. Gone. That night I gathered my cats and pet rat (thankfully, they had not been hurt in any way). I dumped whatever I could gather in 1/2 hour in big garbage bags, grabbed a box of family photos and a load of books, put everybody and everything I could stuff into my little Honda, and moved to a different town. I stayed with a relative for 10 days until I found my own apartment for my cats and I.

The major life change was ultimately a good thing, but at the time I was severely affected, terrified, and pretty depressed.

What I did was find a pdoc and a therapist ASAP. I began using breathing techniques right away to calm myself. Readjusted meds. Rode a bicycle I bought (my fab vintage Raleigh had been stolen) and took walks. Read every book I could get my hands on- re-read Full Catastrophe Living and took it to heart. I immediately got involved at with my local NAMI chapter and eventually trained to facilitate my own NAMI group. I worked hard to look forward and not back.

About a year later, after the home invasion, I did go into the worse mania I had ever experienced. I eventually wound up handcuffed and dumped IP, which was horrible.

Nevertheless, I kept working on my state of mind, including staying on my medications and talking to my therapist twice/week.

I can honestly say that the terror and pain of that part of my life is behind me. Every day I remember some possession that was stolen or destroyed, but I've reframed it, for the most part, into "I'm fine with less 'stuff'."

So. I don't know if any of this translates into what you're looking for, Soupe, but that's my life-changing story.

__________________




*Beth* is offline   Reply With QuoteReply With Quote
 
Hugs from:
Anonymous41462, bpcyclist, fern46, Fuzzybear, Skeezyks, Soupe du jour
 
Thanks for this!
bpcyclist, Soupe du jour
Soupe du jour
Elder
Soupe du jour has no updates.
 
Member Since: Jun 2015
Location: Czechia
Posts: 5,149
8 yr Member
13.4k hugs
given
PC PoohBah!
Default Oct 22, 2020 at 02:23 PM
  #3
BethRags, I am so glad that is now behind you. You really did take great actions right after the burglary.

Do you think that particular mania was some delayed reaction or something separate?
Soupe du jour is offline   Reply With QuoteReply With Quote
 
Hugs from:
*Beth*, Anonymous41462, bpcyclist
 
Thanks for this!
*Beth*, bpcyclist
*Beth*
catches the flowers
*Beth* is practicing healthy breathing for brain, mind, body, spirit.
 
Member Since: Jul 2019
Location: Downtown Vibes, California
Posts: 15,701 (SuperPoster!)
3 yr Member
23.7k hugs
given
PC PoohBah!
Default Oct 22, 2020 at 03:27 PM
  #4
Quote:
Originally Posted by Soupe du jour View Post
BethRags, I am so glad that is now behind you. You really did take great actions right after the burglary.

Do you think that particular mania was some delayed reaction or something separate?
Thank you, Soupe.

I feel sure that the manic episode I had (which lasted for 3 months and wrecked big parts of my life because I lost a number of relationships) was connected to the stress of the home invasion. That episode was the worst I've had...my thinking was essentially "I survived a home invasion and carried on with my life. Due to being a survivor I now know how to communicate to everyone who has been dropped into my life path how they must think in order to fulfill their highest potential"...or something along those lines. A God-given responsibility was in there, somehow.

__________________




*Beth* is offline   Reply With QuoteReply With Quote
 
Hugs from:
bpcyclist, Soupe du jour
 
Thanks for this!
bpcyclist, Soupe du jour
All times are GMT -5. The time now is 09:08 AM.
Powered by vBulletin® — Copyright © 2000 - 2024, Jelsoft Enterprises Ltd.



 

My Support Forums

My Support Forums is the online community that was originally begun as the Psych Central Forums in 2001. It now runs as an independent self-help support group community for mental health, personality, and psychological issues and is overseen by a group of dedicated, caring volunteers from around the world.

 

Helplines and Lifelines

The material on this site is for informational purposes only, and is not a substitute for medical advice, diagnosis or treatment provided by a qualified health care provider.

Always consult your doctor or mental health professional before trying anything you read here.