Heidi’s Story 

My name is Heidi, I live in Boca Raton, Florida. And I've been living with bipolar disorder since I was in my early 20s.

So with bipolar I, and this is what I've learned to understand is that you could be fine for a while. And then bam, manic episode, you know, stress, something happens that, you know, can catapult you into a state where you're getting into a manic place.

It's a high, there is a sense of elation, a sense of, you could do anything. And then there's a sense of, of like, I had special powers, or I was going to write a manuscript or a book, or, you know, do something really massive and, and normally, those things are great. It's great to be inspired, but in a manic state, it's like, I got to do it all night, I'm gonna stay up all night and write this screenplay. And it's, it's, you know, I always say, it's very seductive. And before you know it, you are out, you're out for the count. So for me, it would be like I'd have a manic episode and then go into a depression for a good month or two.

You know it's not your fault, and you still feel like, you just feel helpless. You feel like there's nothing you can do about it. You know, you can't, you can't power through bipolar. You can't power through it. It's impossible. You have to ask for help. I think the hardest thing to do is ask for help.

Practicing that in my life, I meditate. You know, that's a big part of what's kept me balanced. I practice self awareness. I practice speaking to myself in a kind way, and practicing love in my life. Because I will have this, you know, this is my diagnosis is something I have to live with.

With mental illness, unfortunately, we live in a society where there's a lot of stigma around it. That's so unfortunate, and I'm hoping that being able to talk about this helps lift some of that stigma. It's time to lift the veil and it's time to be honest about the fact that this human condition called bipolar I is affecting millions of people.

And when I meet people who have bipolar, it's like, there is like a community you know, we all know all have been there.