For years, I blamed people for my bipolar illness. I thought it was people’s fault that I got sick. This blame made me bitter toward people.
But recently, I’ve given up on blaming people for what happened to me. And I feel so much better.
Bipolar illness is no one’s fault.
Take my advice. Let go of the blame.
Focus, instead on feeling good. Take the energy you spent on blaming people and put it toward daily exercise or meditation. Try to eat right. Get 8 hours of sleep. Take vitamins. Make love. See friends.
You’ll be so much better for it.
Think about it. Blaming your bipolar illness on someone is too simple an answer. Life, our bodies, are so much more complicated than that.
What do the experts say about the causes of bipolar disorder? NAMI says this:
While the exact cause of bipolar disorder is not known, most scientists believe that bipolar disorder is likely caused by multiple factors that interact with each other to produce a chemical imbalance affecting certain parts of the brain. Bipolar disorder often runs in families, and studies suggest a genetic component to the illness. A stressful environment or negative life events may interact with an underlying genetic or biological vulnerability to produce the disorder. There are other possible "triggers" of bipolar episodes: the treatment of depression with an antidepressant medication may trigger a switch into mania, sleep deprivation may trigger mania, or hypothyroidism may produce depression or mood instability. It is important to note that bipolar episodes can and often do occur without any obvious trigger.
So shake the scapegoat. Forgive and forget whomever for whatever they did to you, but remember, they didn’t make you sick.
I wish for you all good things.
May you let go of all that burdens you.
May you remember to give thanks for little things.
May you tell your loved ones that you love them.
And may you persevere despite your illness each and every day.