Daily Prompt: List Your Highs & Lows Of The Past Year
This prompt is relatively easy for me because part of the mental disorders I live with is literally living in a series of 'ups' and 'downs'. My life is truly like a roller coaster, and elevator, a carousel.
It's August of 2016, so I've had eight months of highs and lows.
The highs of this year so far include my daughter's first birthday, being published on several different mental health websites and magazines, making new friends online, and visiting with my sister and her husband every few weekends. The highs include having a stable mood, or being in a state of hypomania for a few days.
I deem hypomania an 'up' because of how it makes me feel; energetic, productive, and motivated.
The lows of this year so far include the involvement of Child Protective Services proceeding my last psychiatric hospitalization, not 'meshing' with my therapist but still having to continue seeing her, being over-medicated, the side effects of my medications, not getting along with my mom, and being in a depressive episode for over one month.
My depressive episode started the first week of June and is still present in my life today. I've tried to reach out to my psychiatrist for help, but she won't help me until she can see me at my next appointment which is now in one week. I've been in a consistent depressed mood; not taking care of myself, not taking care of my surroundings, and not being as attentive as I should be to my daughter.
I had many more highs and lows in 2015, ranging from the birth of my daughter in April and my psychiatric hospitalization in December.
I try to manage the lows with coping skills but often fail at that. I need to try harder to cope with the lows so I can still function and take care of myself, my daughter, and my home.
I don't let the highs or the hypomania get too extreme, and I am very good at managing my hypomania. I use it to my advantage and get things done.
What are your highs and lows of this year so far?
