Happy World Bipolar Day! Spring has sprung. The tulips are sprouting.
And this is our day. This is our moment. Let’s make it count. It’s time to raise awareness and fight stigma.
I am not a stigma. I am a person. A person who happens to have bipolar disorder. My illness doesn’t define me but it does contribute to my personality and demeanor. I don’t see our hindrances as flaws, I see them as superpowers. I believe that we who are bipolar are emotional types who have a greater capacity for empathy compared to the common people. We feel emotions more intensely than others.
We are passionate. Because life is too short to be boring. I embrace my intricacies, my quirks, and my eccentricity. They make me who I am.
We are your friendly neighbors and coworkers. We are musicians, artists, DJs, actors, photographers, dancers, filmmakers, writers. And some of us do work outside the artistic spectrum.
We are brave. We have navigated through the hell of depression and the horror of mania and come out alive on the other end. Therefore we are resilient. We are peaceful. We aim to avoid criticizing, ostracizing, or tormenting any people. \
The principles of “live and let live”ring true to us. We are enthusiastic and adventurous. Neurotic but in a charming, endearing way. Ambitious, and yes, a little bit zany. We are #BipolarStrong. But above all else, we are proud.
So let’s take to Facebook. Let’s take to Twitter. Let’s take to Instagram, Snapchat, and Reddit. Spread the word. We are bipolar and we are not crazy. We are upstanding members of society.
An artist friend of mind made the image above in honor of World Bipolar Day. Feel free to share it on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and everywhere today.
And on this special occasion, read the very first excerpt from my book The Bipolar Addict: Drinks, Drugs, Delirium, and Why Sober Is the New Cool over at Thrive Global. I’m giving you a sneak peek at part of chapter one. #ThisIsBipolar
Post your thoughts on being bipolar on social media with the hashtag #ThisIsBipolar and #WorldBipolarDay.
Rejoice! Bipolar is beautiful!
