Bipolar Disorder and Learning to Love Yourself

Learning to Love Yourself When You Have Bipolar Disorder

Learning to love yourself can be a major challenge while trying to balance the extremes of bipolar disorder. It 's hard to keep up with the demands of a bipolar brain. It can be frustrating and discouraging.

After hitting a low this past December, I realized the power of loving yourself when you have a mental illness like bipolar 2 disorder.

This post is not meant to evoke sympathy or encourage compliments, but to shed light on the impact bipolar disorder has on my self-perception.

Why Is It Difficult to Love Yourself When You Have Bipolar Disorder?

It 's hard to love yourself when you have bipolar disorder because there is an invisible barrier that blocks us from seeing what we know exists. I am flattered by people's positive perception of me. However, there is a disconnect between knowing it exists and feeling it.

I am always reaching for more success in every aspect of my life. It is nearly impossible to attain a positive self-image when you refuse to be content. It is a characteristic that contributes to my success, but in some cases, emphasizes my insecurities. We are prone to believe that nothing is ever good enough, and those instances filled with self-love pass us by in the blink of an eye.

I was hoping that one day my insecurities would disappear with a new prescription, an increase in dosage or smaller jean size. It did not, and the constant self-bullying took its toll on my body and mind.

The Breakdown That Forced Me to Acknowledge My Insecurities

This past December, I had a breakdown that forced me to acknowledge my insecurities in therapy. It was clear that learning to love myself with bipolar disorder was going to take practice and reflection.

I was told to look back at pivotal moments in my life and recall how I felt about myself during that time. Photos and tangible awards captured these moments that I did not celebrate with self-love. I could remember feeling overweight in pictures that portray the complete opposite. This was my wake up call. I could not believe the amount of time I wasted beating myself down when I should have been building myself up.

It was clear that everything I thought about myself was all in my head. It is the part of my condition that prompts a delusional way of thinking. It is hard to see when you are living in it, but clear when you look at things from an outside perspective. It is not just about learning to love yourself with bipolar disorder; more importantly, it's about learning to love yourself in the present moment.

How has bipolar disorder affected your self-perception and your ability to love yourself? How do you cope with negative thoughts? Please share your experience below in the comment section or send in a response video to info@ healthyplace.com. Thanks!