Seeing a Future with Bipolar Disorder

Sometimes you can't see a future with bipolar disorder. I get this. I really do. I have looked into the future with bipolar and it has felt like looking into an endless, black well. But recently, it occurred to me that you can see a future with bipolar disorder, and that future doesn't have to look completely bleak.

This is not a "ra-ra" post. I don't do those kinds of posts. This isn't a feelgood-sunshiney-unicorns-and-rainbows-kind of a post. This is about reality and the reality of having a serious mental illness sucks.

That said, not every moment in the future with bipolar will suck. Of that, I am convinced. I am also convinced that you need to see a future with bipolar disorder in order to successfully live with it today.

Seeing a Future with a Serious Illness

Recently, one of the bloggers here at HealthyPlace disclosed in a blog post that she has been diagnosed with a terminal illness. My heart broke when I read this. Not only does this person have dissociative identity disorder, but she now has to deal with an illness that will, undoubtedly, kill her.

In thinking about her future, I wanted her to know something: I wanted her to know that she still has a future. That future has been unfairly shortened, but she still has a future. She has a tomorrow. And that tomorrow might be amazing. 

And I think it's the same thing living with bipolar disorder. Bipolar disorder can kill you but bipolar disorder won't necessarily kill you.

Seeing a Future with Bipolar Disorder

But whether bipolar disorder ultimately kills you or not, you still have a future. You have a tomorrow. You can see a future even with the biggest, angriest, most horrible monkey on your back. And what you have to know is that every day of your future won't be a slog. Every day will not be agony. Some days will be light. Some days will be joyful. Some days will make you glad that it didn't end today.

And I believe that in order to live your best life today, you need to focus on seeing a future with bipolar disorder. As I said, this isn't about blind positivity, this is about being realistic. And realistically, you do have a future with bipolar disorder and that future is not all bad.

See, I have no doubt that my bipolar disorder will get worse in the future. If the past is any indicator, this will, indeed, happen. I see that in my future with bipolar disorder. That said, I know that the past also tells me that not every moment will be hell. That is also in my future with bipolar disorder. So it's not an endless, black well. I can see some light. I focus on the light in my bipolar future so I can try to work towards that light today.

This is really important because it motivates the now in order to discover a better tomorrow. It reminds me that doing all the things that increase wellness -- sleep schedules, coping skills, resting, routines, etc. -- truly is important. That helps me create that better future that I know is out there. 

So in short, a future with bipolar disorder may not be easy, but a future with bipolar disorder exists. And even if it's hard, that future doesn't have to be a bad thing.