Bipolar Disorder and Friendship
I lost most of my friends when I was really ill with bipolar disorder.
That was over 10 years ago. When I started to get better through using my treatment plan 24 freaking hours a day! I thought carefully about the kind of friend I wanted to be. Here is the main thing I changed.
If you don’t have something nice to say, don’t say anything. This is a great place to start when you want to make friends. No one likes negativity. No one wants to hear how rotten your life is. I used to be super negative and I always complained about how terrible it is to have bipolar disorder. Now I just go with the flow on the simple things- don’t like the meal you’re eating? Guage the situation before you complain. Think the movie you’re watching sucks? Well, maybe the people you’re with are actually enjoying the movie. Complaining is selfish. I was selfish.
I learned to change instead of complaining all of the time.
It took many years of practice to end a lifetime of negative comments, but these days I’m pretty much positive in what I say no matter where I am. I’m often raging on the inside- miserable and lonely on the inside- or just feel like screaming at how stupid people are!!!!! But I keep it to myself and only let it out when it’s appropriate.
People appreciate this. When I really do have a problem- they know I’m not just being negative. This makes for a strong friendship.
Julie
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