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    The Gift And The Curse

    A short(ish) examination of living with, dealing with and sometimes not dealing with being bipolar.

    Rick Strandlof
    by Rick Strandlof

    Community Contributor

    OHAI

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    Thanks for reading this. Maybe you live with bipolar or know and love someone that does. Either of those things can be a challenge. Heaven knows my experience proves that. Like diabetes or a broken leg, bipolar is a medical issue. It's not a moral issue. We are not bad people. Also like diabetes or a broken leg, it won't be cured overnight. Remember one thing - none of us is ever alone and it does get better.

    Denial Isn't Just a River In Egypt...It's An Ocean.

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    For years and years, I knew deep inside something wasn't right. For years and years people told me something wasn't right. But they were wrong. I was wrong, too. It was my natural exuberance. It was my charismatic personality. Everyone was jealous of what I had and who I was. "Haters gonna hate." I'd say. But I felt and thought the opposite of what I tried to be. Things would be "better" if I had a "better" job or a "better" house or a "better" husband or a "better" [insert person/place/thing] here. It wasn't the gallons of alcohol I consumed weekly. It wasn't the line of cocaine I started my morning with. If you were raised the way I was raised, you'd be like I was, too. If you had the job/car/husband/house/life I had, you'd be like I was, too.

    Bipolar Folks Have Many Different Moods...

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    There Are The Highs...

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    There Are The Lows...

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    Then There Are The Times You Feel Nothing At All

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    Oh Yes...Then There Are The Panic Attacks.

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    We Have Incredible Creative Energy That Allows Us To Do The Impossible

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    Of Course Then There Is The Mesmerizing Sexiness

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    Sometimes We May Act Out...

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    By lashing out at innocent friends and family.

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    Or buying all the shoes.

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    Or by isolating.

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    Or by eating all the foodz.

    But Really We Are Just Like You

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    We like to have fun.

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    We live, love and laugh.

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    We're your friends.

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    We're your family.

    We Just Need A Little Help Sometimes, That's All.

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    So Please Remember...

    You are important...

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    You are not alone...

    People Are Standing By To Help.

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    Click Ernestine for lots of contact info for orgs that specialize in helping folks live and thrive with bipolar.

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