Stuck
Living with a mental illness can definitely make you or break you. I have chosen to live my life with no regrets. When you have a manic episode it can be hard to bounce back. You are left with the aftermath of what use to be. You can lose relationships, friends, your job, your home, and/or your freedom.
I've had 7 episodes between 2009-2018.
Each episode, I am challenged with getting my life back. My last episode was much different. It wasn't the worst, but it was public. I said some things via social media that I would never say or do, otherwise. The worst part of it was going back through pictures and messages. I was in a really dark place after that episode. My parents couldn't help me this time. I didn't just bounce back like I usually do. This time was different. I decided to get help. I got a life coach and a therapist. The two of them together helped me overcome that dark time.
My life coach is Karrine Steffans, founder of The Gorgeous Girl's Guide and New York Times best selling author of 8 titles. Her advice to me was to "get my shit together and focus on myself" and "shift and shift again". Every since I heard those mantras my life hasn't been the same.I went from living with my parents for 10 years to getting my first place alone. Having bad credit to fixing my credit and increasing my credit score. Stressing myself out about things that didn't matter to focusing on myself and making huge shifts. I have never been the one to have bad skin or have constant breakouts and she helped with that too. She helped me get my shit together and focus on myself. For that, I will forever be grateful.
My therapist Katy Leech helped me to see that I was human and to stop being so hard on myself. She reminded me that I have accomplished so much in my life. She said she was proud of me for reaching out and getting the help that I needed. We came up with a nightime routine and talked about different things I could do when I am feeling stressed.
Both of these women gave me the support that I needed to "shift and shift again."
