The meeting is tomorrow night and I will try it out. I am tired of this bipolar - it hit me yesterday right in the face. One minute I was fine, and the next I wanted to crawl into a hole because I was soooo down. I hate when it comes out of nowhere. I am certainly not against prayer; just want to be able to talk to some other people with this challenge. So, I will face my fear and go. Thank you for the words of encouragement.
Mine was at revivre, a community group set up to help those with anxiety, depression and bipolarity. And it was great. Once a week we spoke about how the week went and commented on how we saw differences in each other... and the second half we disscused a life issue.
Sugar,
it does not hurt to check out the group. See if part of the meeting is about living with the illness and coping. If it is a prayer meeting you can politely excuse yourself ... if it is interesting hey more friends and more tools too ya!
hey wildcat - I have not had the courage to go to an actual meeting for bipolar/depression yet. The only one I can find in my area is very religious ( not that I don't believe) and I am afraid I guess. It is not in my familiar area either. Did it really help you ?
I have those hypomanic moments when my mind plays tricks on me as well. I have really appreciated the support group for bipolar and depressives I was attending because it let me express these ideas with others who understood my concerns and fears.
Sometimes it is nice to have someone say I understand, I really do because I have lived the thing as you! Even it is a crummy episode thing.
My doctor has prescribed me Cymbalta. like 2 months ago or more. I have been too terrified to take it... I guess that is the anxiety flaring up. I am not a good pill taker. Between the anxiety and my control issues I can't seem to start the meds. I am meeting my therapist next week to try and figure things out for myself... I am afraid of allergic reactions (have many allergies to meds) and afraid of side effects and making things worse for myself. Also, as much as I admit there is something wrong with me, I have trouble admitting it though. I feel like denying it all the time... Control issues?
Well, I have been torturing myself with the meds thing for months now. I am genuinely scared. But I will figure it out!
I encourage you to review the program tools and challenge those negative core values. If you have any questions about the tools, contact us, we are always here for support and to provide you feedback . Hopefully by posting in the support group, it is helping you break through the isolation.
Karen - thank you so much for the information. I figured it out, yay ! I am just starting the program, and already have hope. I think I am at the max dose of Cymbalta & when I tried to go off of it I went loopy. My Dr. says I don't need Abilify, and I don't think it is compatible with Cymbalta. I am Bipolar also. I think my environment & my negative spiral thinking have a lot to do with everything - also the fact that I have not been employed for so long. I am an isolator big time. I am at that stage where I feel like no one cares about me, but in my heart I know they do. My mind is always playing tricks on me. I would also like to welcome Shani to this wonderful program, and thank everyone for making me feel so welcome also.