A Wonderful Weekend Retreat

Well,isn’t it nice to read that I had a great weekend! It was great to experience it,believe me. This past few months have been such a challenge (euphemism!),so feeling better is wonderful. And no,I’m not manic. (Thank goodness.)

I went to an interfaith retreat for people with disabilities who work with people who have disabilities! –brain disorders and physical disabilities. Yes,some people have trouble with the word disability,but I believe it’s an honest word that honors the struggles those of us who are not able to work,run,talk,etc go through. Does that make sense? It was a joyful experience of shared stories and a lot of learning.

I will post some pictures because it was a happy time. So yes,even if you have chronic,relentless and debhiliting depression,the episode can end and things can get better.

And now [ Read More ]





Posted on June 1st,2009 | Tags:,, | Category:About Julie

Summer Mania

Bipolar Disorder Mania Peaks in the Summer!

NOw is the time for a mania check…

Wow,I had a wild hypomanic episode a few months ago. I wrote about it at the time. If you go to the mania link to the right,you can read all about mania and my experiences. It’s a very,very dangerous mood swings as it feels good- absolutely no one wants to be depressed,but people who experience euphoric mania often welcome it and never want it to end. (Agitated mania is called dysphoric mania- it’s also explained on the mania link to the right.)

We really are moving into the mania season. Sunlight affects our sleep as we get more sun through the eyes – which affects the brain. So,  yes- keeping out of the sun helps. But who wants to do that if they have been depressed?

This is a complicated illness- and we have to know [ Read More ]





Watch out for summer bipolar mania….

Bipolar Mania

Oh man,I had a terrible up swing yesterday! The problem with mania- well,there are so many problems with mania it would take a year to write them all down. The problem is that there are so many forms and they are all so sneaky. I’m an expert on mania treatment now- I have done everything possible to notice the signs of mania and get the mania to stop. And it still sneaks up on me.

I had a strong hypomanic episode yesterday. It started out fun and then felt like I was on a way too fast merry go round. I could feel my brain warping. I got so excited about my work I was giddy. It was a bit scary. I actually couldn’t tell if I truly was excited or if it was a mood swing. Looking back,it was 100% mania. People don’t go that wild when things [ Read More ]





A picture of my family

mom bday

 My family is always there for me when I get sick. It took a long time for them to understand the illness and how my Health Cards treatment works- they used to use everyday logic to try and help= Julie,you have a lot to be thankful for. Why are you so unhappy!  etc.

Now they are my biggest support. When I get sick,my mom and brother get on the phone and check in with each other and then call me a lot to make sure I’m ok. I call it the bipolar hot line!

I have information for family members in all of my books. They have to know about this illness as much as we do.  My wonderful nephew is six –we talk about depression when I’m having a tough day!

julie





Julie’s Bipolar Treatment Videos!

Hi,if you’re new to this blog,make sure you go to the video tab on the right and check out my videos.

You can see my cat…  and hear more about my work and how I started writing books after being sick for so long.

I will post later today.

Julie





MANIC:Terri Cheney on the Julie Fast Radio Show

Hi all,I have an exciting guest this Sunday on my radio show. Terri Cheney,the author of the bestselling memoir MANIC will be the guest.

We will talk about writing mental health memoirs. So many people write and ask me how they can get their story in print- who better to ask than a successful mental health writer like Terri!

I’ve read a lot of bipolar disorder memoirs- and have enjoyed them all- Terri’s is different than many because of its literary style. It reads like a novel. This isn’t easy to do!

You can visit juliefast.com/radio to read more about the show.

Julie





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