I have a mental illness, bipolar, and I am not ashamed. I started having symptoms when I was 14. I would have intense periods of mania and other times depression. It was a really hard experience. When I was 16, I went to boarding school (my idea), which was helpful. I started getting along better with my parents, and I appreciated the support I got at school. I later went on to college, which was harder because I didn’t have the same support network. But when I was a junior in college, things seemed to be going much better. But in reality, I was just becoming more and more manic, and eventually I crashed. I started fighting with my parents nonstop again and ended up in the psych ward. I managed to finish college, but then ended up in a behavioral health program where the staff was very mean to me. But, by the grace of God, I finally got the right help and was able to live symptom-free.
Now I have been living my dream life for years. I work as a Recovery Support Specialist. That is someone who is in recovery from mental illness who helps people currently dealing with mental illness. I wouldn’t have been able to get the job without my years of suffering. And it’s my dream job! The clients are awesome, and not only do I love them, but I also learn from their hard work ethic every day! I also have my dream social life. I get along great with my whole family, I socialize in person the majority of time at my job, and I have a strong support network on X. I am so fulfilled by having so many great people in my life to help! I also am kind of a master at getting joy out of the little things. If it weren’t for my years of suffering, I would never have achieved this level of happiness. No way! I hope that this story can inspire anyone who is suffering to know that you can’t know what the future holds!