The Power of the Bounce: Embracing Resilience with Bipolar Disorder
A series to help you learn resilience.
Hi there!
To say the first few years of my bipolar journey were a roller coaster would be a massive understatement. The highs, lows, and chaos ran mostly unchecked for three years. I went from owning my own business to working retail, then to not working at all.
My relationships were just as chaotic; I got engaged, broke up, and was engaged to someone else within a few months. That second engagement? I didn't even like her, and thankfully, good friends stopped me before we could get married.
Throughout those extreme highs and devastating lows, I kept telling myself I was doing great. I knew I had bipolar disorder, but I was on medication. I thought I was fixed. Wrong again.
After a series of spectacularly bad decisions, everything finally imploded. Instead of running 20 hours a day, I slipped into a state where I didn't shower, didn't get dressed, and most days, I didn't get out of bed. Nothing mattered, and I suddenly had no strength to do anything. I stayed there for about six months.
That was probably my worst bout with bipolar depression. As those long, gray days dragged on, I doubted I would survive. But then one day, I'm not even sure where the strength came from, I decided to get out of bed. I took a shower and shaved for the first time in weeks. Looking in the bathroom mirror, I told myself, "Scott, you can do this."
As awful as that time was, it taught me a valuable lesson: No matter how bad things got, I could bounce back.
What Exactly Is Resilience?
An internet search defines resilience as: "the capacity to withstand or to recover quickly from difficulties; toughness."
With bipolar disorder, I'd remove "quickly" from that definition. While there are times now that I can bounce back rather speedily, there have been lots of times when it took weeks or even months. The important part is the bouncing back. Be like Tigger, and no matter how far you fall, try to bounce.
Resilience is a necessity for living with bipolar disorder. When your worst enemy lives inside your head, you need to fight every day. Resilience is part of that fight.
Some people wrongly think that resilience means nothing bad affects you, or that by being positive you'll never feel pain and can maybe even cure your mental illness. Unfortunately, none of that is true.
Instead, resilience with bipolar disorder means not giving up the fight. No matter how many days you're stuck in bed, no matter how many nights seem unending, you commit to life. And as soon as you can, you get back to the business of living.
Building Your Resilience Muscle
Resilience is like a muscle. You can both learn to be resilient and get stronger at doing it. That's why this week, we're focusing on the power of resilience and how it can help you in your fight with bipolar disorder.
Just to be clear: resilience isn't about replacing your other treatment options. Resilience is a tool in your mental health toolbox, but it's just a tool. You need to stick to your treatment plan, whatever that is.
It took some time after that morning where I got up and finally showered before I was truly back to living again. My first few times out in public, especially going to meet with my Bible study group, were so overwhelming that I couldn't stay.
After months of solitude, being in a group with more than two people completely overwhelmed my senses. I could only take it in small doses, just a few minutes at a time.
But each day, I grew stronger. And before I knew it, I was not only back to having a social life, I was also back to working and able to provide for myself. That was a wonderful feeling.
Bipolar disorder will knock you down. Then it will spit on you while you're lying in the gutter. But that's not the end. You can get up again, and this week, we're going to help you get there.
For a remarkable story of resilience, check out this video about American soldier Roy Benavidez. It’s the ultimate story of bouncing back when life beats you down.
Monday’s Journal Prompts:
Think of a time when you "bounced back" from a challenging mood state or a difficult situation related to your bipolar disorder. What did that experience feel like, and what did you learn about yourself?
What are some common ideas you've heard about resilience? Do you agree or disagree with them, especially in the context of bipolar disorder, and why?
Until next time, keep fighting.
Scott Ninneman
Read Next
Prior Mini Courses
Writers on Substack to read
Scott Ninneman is the author of Speaking Bipolar’s 30 Days of Positivity and the writer behind SpeakingBipolar.com. Living in the mountains of southeast Tennessee, he spends his days crunching numbers as a tax preparer and his nights caring for his mother and writing stories about bipolar life. (And he loves pandas.)
Disclaimer:​
This email may contain affiliate links. If you make a purchase through one of these links, I may receive a small commission at no additional cost to you.