Posted by jzp on October 2, 2000, at 2:53:15
In reply to Re: How to resume normal life?, posted by chdurie2 on October 1, 2000, at 18:34:29
Wow, thank you all for the supportive responses.
I think that a lot of my anxiety over "what do I tell people?" has a lot more to do with my own issues than with people. That is to say, I keep thinking what I could have done with the past two years if I hadn't been sick. I keep comparing my "before" self to my current self, and it's a real bummer. I know it isn't realistic or even possible, but I wish I could just erase everything that happened in the past two years and pick up where I left off. So everyone's advice to try to go easy on myself is right on. It's totally irrational, but I still blame myself. I mean, it's a fact that I have Bipolar II, that I need to always take medicine, that it isn't going to go away completely, and that it isn't something I chose, but somehow I can't get that to ring true emotionally.
It seems like the recovery process is often ignored. I know that I want it to be as simple as taking a pill and having all my problems solved, but I know that it isn't. I think if people realized this, there wouldn't be so much popular mistrust of psychiatric medications.
Thanks again for all your insights.
-Jannette
poster:jzp
thread:753
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/social/20000813/msgs/772.html