International Bipolar Foundation Blog + A Blog About a Blog

 

Please please read the full blog here and visit the International Bipolar Foundation's website, they have an immense amount of great information for those living with bipolar, as well as for loved one and supporters:

IBPF Blog - Asking for Help as a Man

A Blog About a Blog

I also wanted to take a minute to pause and reflect on how unbelievable of a moment this is for me. I have basically just zoomed past it in life as I have just scratched the surface of what I would like to accomplish and what I think I am capable of... and some very specific parts of life are very difficult right now and I have been focusing on that. 

However, this shit is really cool and I want to acknowledge that. I started this blog six months ago in the midst of a major depressive episode as a lifelong for myself to something more. I wanted to make a difference but had no idea how. I am so proud of myself for starting, for trying, for doing something completely unknown, with no plan, yet with a focus on using my story to help educate other and eliminate the stigma surrounding bipolar disorder. Now I'm writing for IBPF, huh? 

You know what? I had no expectations or results of what success would look like in my head, I just wanted to do something. And, I'll even begrudgingly admit that I think it is working. I have been able to share my story with a classroom of nurses and at a Crisis Intervention Training for a room full of law enforcement (and it was amazing), I've met so many people like myself on Instagram, through YouTube and in-person since I have started sharing what living with bipolar is like for me. 

This is the first time in my life I feel like I have a direction and that I'm trying things, learning more. I mean I look up the best times to post on YouTube and IG, I sincerely love and hate myself at exactly the same time for this. But it's great. Life is still really difficult. While all of this is going well, I feel like I am at my worst point career wise I maybe have ever been. My life is an enigma, the difference is, I'm acknowledging that, talking about it, and leaning in to the healthy side of life and am executing a plan. 

I have no idea what will happen next. I might wake up tomorrow and decide I've shared enough and I can't anymore, but I highly doubt it. I really enjoy sharing my story, educating myself and others, and look forward to the next opportunities that could come my way. Thank you for the 89 people who have read my first post and the handful or so that will read this one. It is still surreal to think that anyone would take time out of their day to read/listen/watch/ consume something that I have posted and I do not take that for granted for even one second. 

Thank you for reading and please check out my YouTube and IG and share with anyone with whom you think it could help!!

Rethink Everything, Keep Going

Lee Formella

@benefits_of_bipolar