Bipolar Disorder and Work: BP Magazine Link to My Column

I hope that all of you have a subscription to the excellent magazine BP Magazine: Hope and Harmony for People with Bipolar Disorder as it’s a truly amazing resource- it really does make you feel better to read each issue! I have had a column in the magazine for four years. I write on a variety of topics. My last topic was on work. You can read the whole article under my posting at the top of the page. It’s a great article for all of us who struggle to reconcile our work desires with our actual abilities. Ok, let’s be real- what I just wrote is an euphemism for the reality many of us face- we want to reach a work (or school) goal and bipolar disorder gets in our way and we then have to rethink, regroup and try something that may be quite different from what we want for ourselves. Bla.

Along [ Read More ]





Bipolar Disorder and Work Schedules: A new office!

My ability to work without struggling all day is very, very random. I wish there were more of a pattern as it would be easier to get things done with ease! I actually worked for five hours yesterday and I feel like I can do the same today. There is a big reason for this- I finally got an office that feels comfortable.  It took seven years to find the right place. I always knew that I could better deal with the restless ADD/Depression if I could just find the right place to work. I tried coffee shops, the library, individual cubes in a rental space and even my own section of an artist’s collective. And nothing ever worked very well. This new space just feels right.

I am lucky- it only took seven years! ha ha.  It’s so important that we all have a place to go and people to see throughout the day- [ Read More ]





Get it Done When You’re Depressed: Think like an athlete!

Think Like an Athlete

I like to talk with people who have achieved excellence in the sporting world. Their dedication and perseverance are similar to what it takes to manage bipolar disorder successfully.

Here is a great quote:

You can neither win or lose if you don’t get into the game.

How true. I often get scared and stressed when I approach a new book deal. There is always the chance of a no- but there is always the chance of a yes- so I stay in the game. I always get sick bipolar wise when I write books with strict deadlines- I often feel I can’t go on. But I do and I’m glad I stick it out. When I do interviews for my book Get it Done When You’re Depressed, the interviewers inevitably ask me about my Think Like an Athlete tip. Athletes keep going no matter what- and we can too. If [ Read More ]





Bipolar Disorder and Working at Starbucks

Working without the internet… not acutally working for Starbucks! ;)

I’ve found that going to Starbucks where there is no wireless is immensely helpful work wise- especially on the days when I’m depressed and unfocused. It’s amazing how the internet can keep a person from getting work done! I do my email and then send them from home. This helps a lot. It also keeps me from compulsively checking to see if someone has written. Nothing is so important that I have to check my email every few minutes! When I was on Facebook, it was awful. People write constantly and before you know it, you’re over there looking for friends. I won’t have a personal Facebook any time soon- and even if I did- I couldn’t check it at Starbucks!

Julie





Bipolar Disorder and Work Stress

Bipolar Disorder and Tough Situations

I believe that how I deal with problems when I’m well determines how well I will deal with problems when I’m sick. I’ve had a stable mood for four days in a row now. I love it! I’m also thankful as work has been very stressful. There was a problem on amazon.com for my book Take Charge of Bipolar Disorder and I’ve had to wait a few days to get it resolved. This took patience and a lot of my coping skills. My books are my career- so it’s like having a bad day on the job when amazon.com has trouble!

I work up early in order to work early and there were the negative and worried thoughts. I stayed in bed a while and listened to them- and then I said to myself- use the tips in Get it Done When You’re Depressed. Get out of BED and get [ Read More ]





Get it Done When You’re Depressed: Put Yourself in a Place You Can Work

Well, have you ever done a project that you just love and are so proud of? That is how I feel about Get it Done When You’re Depressed . This is a big thing for me as I was not able to feel much pleasure in my work for over five years. I spent a lot of time just dealing with the mood swings and complaining that I could do so much more if I didn’t have this darn illness!

Anyway, I use the tips in this book daily. On many days they are intuitive as I have used them so much- but when I’m ill, I have to remind myself to use them as everything seems so hopeless and pointless. I used one today that really worked:

Put Yourself in a Place You Can Work 

I have a constant struggle with just sitting down and writing. Today I met my friend Sherri, who is [ Read More ]





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