Overcome With Joy and A Sense of Purpose
I have spent much of my adult life wandering through, trying to figure out what I am supposed to do when I “grow up.” Well, I think I finally have it figured out. At least for the short-term. And hopefully I’ve got a long-term plan that will work.
I have always enjoyed working with people who have some kind of disability; a developmental disability of some sort, a traumatic brain injury, physical disabilities, and people with wisdom and much to share, yet their bodies are beginning to fail them, and sometimes their minds too. Those are the populations I have loved working with. And still do.
However, I always wondered, how I, as someone with a mental illness struggled with much difficulty to relate to others with the same types of illnesses, especially if they were as bad or worse than my challenging diagnosis of bipolar disorder. Finally… I began to see the light. I could not accept that weakness in myself, the weakness of mental/emotional/spiritual instability. Therefore, I could not accept others with that same weakness.
For years I fought against it. Christian people told me I shouldn’t need medication because it was a battle to be fought in the spiritual realm. I struggled in an extreme way with this judgment from others who really, truly, sincerely believed they knew what the problem was. I felt like I couldn’t take medication or I was a “bad Christian.” In reality aren’t we all dying people who need to be brought to life by a Living Savior?
I am not saying psychology has all of the answers. I am just saying that God uses people who He has given great knowledge to, to create medications and therapies to help people with illness, yes, including genuine psychological illness.
I finally embraced a holistic approach about a year ago. I had been taking a med regime that had worked for me for about a month when my husband became very sick. One of those meds has, as a side effect, significant weight gain. I fought against this medication for years, the only one that had EVER worked for me, because of this side effect. It also takes about 2-3 weeks, to get used to any increase in dose, as far as fatigue goes. These are not fun things to deal with. But what’s worse: Being a little tired for a few weeks here and there and gaining some weight OR living CRAZY??!! When my husband needed me I finally decided CRAZY wasn’t an option anymore!! AND I love my new life of being HEALTHY!!
I’ve decided to go into the mental health “field.” However, I am not so much going into it as a counselor or a social worker, but as a peer. I want to come alongside people who struggle with illness or just plain brokenness. I want to show a new group of people, whom I have come to love dearly, how the love of Christ along with healthy life-style choices can change their life, and how it can make them whole. I want to take judgment out of it!
I do realize medications are overprescribed. However, the people who need them the most are often the ones not taking them, especially with the stigma that is out there. It was a very arduous decision for me to make to come clean about my own illness, because of that stigma. But if I, as someone diagnosed with a mental illness, continue in hiding, I am not serving the purpose God has given me.
I hope others will come up to me and say, “Hey, I can relate.” I hope this opens the doors to communication and openness.
I now know how to cope with bipolar disorder and you can learn too! I think the advice I will provide, mostly tips that have worked for me, can help anyone dealing with LIFE!! We all struggle, whether it is with a mental health issue or just daily happenings, or a need for meaning and purpose in our lives. I hope to be able to use what God teaches me through my own study to enhance the lives of others.
Psalm 147:3
He heals the brokenhearted and binds up their wounds.