bipolar
Bipolar disorder; understanding the highs, the lows and the in between.
Normal?
To some of you I look normal. I look like I have it made maybe? If you know me then you know better than to think anything close to these assumptions. I have been approached a few times at gas stations by random people asking for money. Do I give off some sort of vibe? I must. Lately, with the holidays right around the corner I have been stressed to the max. My bipolar medication I was on gave me horrible side effects including losing my hair. I am not bald but my hair is very, very thin now. I have been through quite a few medications now and every single medication has made me shake, lose my hair, make me extremely hot, or involuntary movements. I will not mention all the medications on here as I do not know if I can get in trouble or not. I realize I HAVE to be medicated now. I feel absolutely miserable without it. A chemical imbalance is so real, it's not even funny. I use to love things and have passions but now I hate everything and don't want to do anything, everyday. So what is a person to do when they're unmedicated and having to go to work everyday feeling like this and deal with people all day? I have no answers to this. My mind is blank. Isn't this a disability? My anxiety makes me manic, being manic makes me angry, being angry hurts other people. So why is it possible in this world to be this broken and be without health insurance and a good paying job?(even though I did go to school for my job) The pay at work is garbage, there is no benefits, and I had to pay for school for this crap? I could have worked at a gas station and get paid more per hour and possibly have some sort of benefits. I have done hair for 13 years now and I am ready to get out. I cannot believe I paid over 10,000 dollars for schooling just to have an almost minimum-wage based job. I make 9 dollars per hour. I understand I get tips but those are gifts from my client. Also, some days I walk out of work with 9 bucks and I'm suppose to live off of that? Are you freaking kidding me?! With this pandemic getting worse and worse day by day, more and more people are staying home and putting off haircuts. We are so slow we are closing an hour earlier now. So this means instead of getting around 31 hours I now get around 28. This pandemic is painful for everyone I totally get that but who doesn't tip these days? Do people realize my paycheck is a joke for 2 weeks? Yeah, I get paid hourly but guess what, those credit card tips I get 90% of the time are taken out of my check. This leaves me with 300-400 dollar checks for TWO WEEKS. I am traveling to the other sister salons to grab 4 hours here and 4 hours there. Oh yeah and our shifts at work are 4 1/2 hours a day now. I never have weekends off, I barely see my kid, I never get to go out and do fun things on a Friday night, I can't go out with my family and spend time with them, and the list goes on. All for a crappy job with nothing to gain and no money to be made. Realize what your stylist gives up to be in that salon to cut your hair every weekend. Realize they have chosen this low-paying job instead of sleeping in and spending time with their family. For those of you who don't leave even a dollar behind when you get a haircut, shame on you. Everyone can spare one dollar. I at least expect an apology that you cannot tip, like if you're broke and looking for a job or something like that. I totally understand some people are worse off than me but did you really need to come get a haircut if you're that broke? I don't care who you are, you do not go into a restaurant and stiff your waitress, do you? She didn't even spend money to go to school! I spent hundreds of hours at school, doing hundreds of different things to mark off in my book. I had tests, I had to be licensed, I needed models, so why no tip? Do you not respect my line of work? What do you do for a living? If you're in sales you would understand that I need tips to make a living. I get getting stiffed if your haircut is terrible or I was a jerk. But other people make me a jerk. I come to work fine and customers can be so awful. I'm bipolar so you really think I can control my feelings at this point without medication? I can only hold back so much and apologize. The customer is always right is bogus. When you come in acting like a total tool, not wanting to wear your mask the correct way, being pompous, and arrogant I'm going to smile at you and try to make you understand simple protocol. I do not make the rules these days and people still don't want to do simple things to protect my life, my family, and my co-workers, then why am I even doing hair still? Welp, I have no other options right now. This is sadly the best job I can get right now. Until I finish college I am screwed. I have applied for other jobs but they ask for a background check and the person i was 6 years ago is not the person here today. I have changed a lot but my background will forever follow me around. No employer allows me to explain either. They simply just bypass me. So now I am trying to start a painting and crafting side-business, but that's not even going well due to the economy. I don't know how else to make money so I do what I know, hair. It is better than nothing and some days are really good but anymore those good days are every once in a while now. I have never worked this hard in my life just to scrape by. It's ridiculous! I'm sure when I graduate I will have a problem getting a job due to my background. People can be awful and judgemental. I try not to be. I try to understand things from the other person's point of view, I really do. I try not to get upset or mad about stupid things but a person can only take so much. I hope that more people realize what someone like me goes through on a daily basis. It's hard to even push on anymore. Like what's the point? See, there is my mental illness again. But when the situation cannot change even though you have tried endlessly to change it, it gets discouraging. I write on here hoping I don't make people upset but I will always write the truth. This is my life though. I work EVERY single weekend, I cannot afford to take it off now. Hopefully, I find the right medication very soon but it does not change my situation. It doesn't change my financial situation. If you feel the way I do I hope that I helped you realize you're not alone in this. You're not the only one who feels or thinks this way. The country we live in anymore is not the place I was raised to be. That place doesn't exist anymore. I feel the world has shown it's true colors these past couple of month and they were not pretty. I try to think of other people and help them when I can and most people will use up a person like me. If you enjoy my writing please tip. It is GREATLY appreciated. With the times being so tough on everyone I really do understand if you cannot afford it I really do. I am one of those who cannot afford to read things on here and tip. But I hope you get that cash from my view at least.
By Danielle Solo5 years ago in Psyche
Living with Bi-Polar Disorder
In July I got the news that I have depressive bi-polar disorder. I've already been on two medications for my depression for years, but something was always missing. I knew there was always another bit of me that was affecting my life, but I didn't know what.
By Nicole Herst5 years ago in Psyche
Living With Bipolar
The Diagnosis At preadolescence, I was experiencing these periods of emotions that would seem to come in waves, in no particular order. The gravity of these feelings at the time was too much for my young mind to comprehend what was happening to me. There weren't any signs or events that were or would happen that would have caused these amounts of extreme emotional feelings to occur.
By Ray "The-Visualist" Cooper5 years ago in Psyche
Being Bipolar: Now in Color
In my life, I have experienced no sound in nature more beautiful than that of water. Water in almost any form, whether it be running water, dripping water, splashing water, or crashing water. I have always found the sound to be beautiful.
By Olivia Bulnes5 years ago in Psyche
Do You Have Bipolar Disorder?
Have you ever wondered if you (or someone you know) might belong among the illustrious ranks of the mentally ill? In particular, bipolar? It’s nothing to be ashamed of, despite the stigma, many people of great minds and accomplishments have been bipolar, or as it was formerly known, manic depressive. It is speculated that Winston Churchill and Vincent Van Gogh had it, and more recently, Russell Brand, Mariah Carey and Britney Spears have been diagnosed.
By Helen Stuart5 years ago in Psyche
White Sheep, Black Sheep
There we were. Racing to every convenience store, gas station, and local plaza we could find; posting dozens of the hundreds of flyers we’d printed stating, “MISSING PERSON” of my little sister’s disappearance. The headline was typed in bold, desperate red ink across the top. It was a distinct contradiction to the calm, slow beat of the blood my heart was pumping in my chest. I couldn’t compute where my sister would go, if she had eaten or showered in days, and why this trail of pain seemed to plague my family.
By Tabitha Talks5 years ago in Psyche
Why Supplements are Essential for Detox
Why Supplements are Essential for Detox We were taught all of our lives that mind altering drugs are bad for you and to stay away at all costs… except for when you have a mental illness of course. Then it's okay to change your brain chemistry and who you are to fit in better in society. After being on medications for about five years I can say that there are for sure pros and cons of both being on them and being off of them. And whether or not you want to be on them is a PERSONAL CHOICE. I don't care what anybody says, it's your choice to take them every day and yes, some people desperately need them more than others. I can see both sides of the story of both wanting to be on them and not wanting to be on them. There isn't a right or wrong answer to the question of “should i take medication”. Because yet again, ITS A PERSONAL CHOICE. Nobody has the right to judge you either way.
By Mallory Johnson5 years ago in Psyche
An excerpt
You open your eyes, sighing you come to the realization you aren't dead. Staring at the ceiling, many thoughts cross your mind, ranging from intense emotions such as hatred to elation, there are thoughts of death, why you aren't fucking good enough, and lastly death. There it is again, always in your life like a dark, gloomy cloud stalking you around. Today could be the day. You decide to finally get out of bed, the sheets haven't been washed in weeks, if not months. The floor is strewn with dirty plates, empty cans, and dirty clothes. The ashtray on your nightstand is almost over flowing, ashes all over the places, especially the floor when you were too lazy to ash. Posters cover the tar stained walls, black out curtains cover the windows, you aren't even sure what time of day it is. On your desk you find the cruddy old school alarm clock, that barely works. I states 3:00. You open the murky curtains to see it's dark outside.
By Katherine Peters5 years ago in Psyche
Being Bipolar: Now in Color
Hey Reader, what’s up! Life is Awesome! Today I woke up and was like, "For real? I’m alive and it's my birthday!" I just turned 30 something years old today! June 26, 2020! I lived to do so many things even just today. Not things that might have seemed to matter so much individually but made all the difference in the big picture. Like many other things in life.
By Olivia Bulnes5 years ago in Psyche
Bipolar disorder is a Mother F’er
looks are deceiving I have known this for year's now. Growing up I always knew there was something different about me. I would have moments I felt like I had won the lottery, then I would wake up and feel like my best friend had died. My moods were always all over the place and so was I. The thing about it the only person who could tell was me... So I thought.
By Serai Wilson5 years ago in Psyche
