Years ago if you would have asked me if there was any greater meaning or purpose to my story as I lay in the emergency room, then ICU, after my first suicide attempt, I would have said no. But my story matters. Almost 13 years later, I am reflecting on how different struggles I’ve endured in particular living with bipolar disorder, has shaped my life. No one asks for struggles, for hardships, or suffering, but we all endure them in this life. I think we can create meaning in our lives through our struggles with bipolar disorder. We can find purpose for ourselves and our world around us.
My story matters because it helps inspire others to continue in their stories. Since I started blogging in 2015, I have received emails, comments, and heard from real people that my story touched them in some way. I have also met so many new people through sharing my story who have impacted my life in a positive way and encouraged me to keep writing, fighting, and living. Sometimes you can’t imagine the impact your life can make on other people, and sometimes you’ll never know how many lives you’ve touched. So keep struggling, keep living, keep creating meaning for your life with bipolar.
I wasn’t always in a place to write and share my story. I wasn’t always doing as well as I am now. There were years when I thought mental health recovery was an illusion or a mirage. I’ve been in the hospital more times than I can count, I’ve undergone serious treatments such as many series of ECT, and been on countless different psychiatric medicines. Things have looked bleak. I have been hopeless before. I hit rock bottom, but I didn’t give up. It took time, different treatments, and work, but I found bipolar recovery.
Your story matters. Your story matters even when things look dark, when life is at its worst, and when you don’t care whether your story inspires others, let alone yourself. You matter. Living with bipolar can be manageable. You can live a meaningful life with purpose of your choosing. I am reminded of the words of Viktor Frankl whose book, “Man’s Search for Meaning,” I found helpful after I was first diagnosed with bipolar, who said, “Those who have a ‘why’ to live, can bear with almost any ‘how’.” There is hope. There is help. There is a life with bipolar disorder. Your story matters.
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David Wise
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