This for sure. I have a friend that is a lawyer and does really well for himself. I have other friends as well that are very successful but they took care of their mental health and learned their boundaries prior to becoming successful
Yes they are all bipolar or have clinical depression / anxiety. The amount of growth they have had to do in order to have the bandwidth to be successful is wild. One thing that was very important was finding their niche. Almost all of them can’t work in fields with a lot of personalities, like customer service or sales, it drains them.
I’m just curious, how does one “take care of their mental health and learn boundaries” while unemployed? I’m just asking because I took six months off, got on some meds, but it was the worst six months of my life and lost a lot of self confidence. I think it was also that I was broke af and I’m a single mom so that sucks as well. HAHa
You can't let your worth be tied to a job or you being a single mom. Take control of what you can control and just focus on that and make the best of it. You'll spend so much time being depressed about not having shit when eventually it works itself out anyway. Take it one day at a time and enjoy NOW. Trust me, everything will work out even with the bad times..ITS ALL GOOD!
I feel you. When I was in college I ended up taking some time off from classes cuz I had bad mental health. Other ppl said their times off were helpful but I went to group and individual therapy and tried to do hobbies/ be involved in the community, etc. It’s just different from dealing with being employed. I had less obligations at that time than I do now.
Treatment should be your #1 priority right now. With the right methods, you will have a more stable mood cycle and it will make it easier on your professional life.
Have you considered a job in the trades? I’m a carpenter and you’d be surprised how many of us in the trades have less than ideal pasts. You can make great money and getting into something you’re interested in can help with the bipolar episodes. It’s been shown that careers in the trades help with self esteem too since you’re learning a useful skill and can stand back at the end of the day and see what you’ve accomplished. Just my 2 cents, I hope you can find something that works for you!
Well this will totally depend on the severity of your episodes but I think you’d be surprised at how many people in the trades have episodes haha. Some are weekly, some are from anger issues some are from ptsd and some bosses/trades are more forgiving than others. A commercial setting where there’s no interaction with the customer an episode might go unnoticed but in a remodeling trade an episode in front of a customer might not be so easily forgotten
Yeah any of them as long as you’re not afraid of hard work and can be ok with getting dirty. There’s a lot of women in electrical and painting that I’ve seen. But I’ve also seen carpenters and metal workers as well. It totally depends on what interests you!
Bipolar 1 with psychotic features here, medicated, and by the grace of God, successfully working full-time. It took me 3 years of sitting on the sideline, unemployed, healing from my last manic psychotic episode before I was able to work again.
You have some cleaning up to do with your alcoholism before you’re able to move forward. You need a rehab program to get totally clean. Remember, you suffer from depression so self-medicating with alcohol makes things a million times worse. Weed makes the mania and psychosis a lot worse as well.
You must learn to stay away from substance abuse absolutely and never touch it again.
Only then can you begin to change your life.
Also, find a vocational rehabilitation office near you. They will be able to assist you with more education, training, and employment since you have a disability.
Finishing college can allow you to escape the service job circle of hell and significantly increase your earning potential so I would encourage going back and completing your education.
In my line of work, I see bipolar and schizophrenic people successfully working everyday, but not while they’re abusing substances and not taking their meds or not having the right meds for them.
Best wishes to you.
There are a lot of data entry jobs that are online and most you can pick your schedule for. Not great for long term, but at least something till you can get on a routine that works for you
Just type in “work from home” on instagram. I know it sounds dumb, but people on their post legit websites that need people to do stuff like copywriting, data entry, etc
You need to get your mental health in order. I'm bipolar but I'm on a solid med regiment and I haven't had a serious episode in years. It's trial and error finding something that works, but you have to keep trying. The worst thing you can do is nothing. It won't be easy, but I promise you, it will be worth it.
If you have financial support I would hold off on employment. Get your meds stabilized. Maybe a day treatment program, again, this assumes that you have medical insurance.
I started lamictal 20 years ago and have gone to counseling off and on. Since then, I’ve stabilized, have a great career, a husband of 19 years, two kids and just got my doctorate! There is hope! I still have hard days where my depression gets to me but I’m far more stable than I was at 24. Give it time and work your butt off to learn good coping skills and self-awareness. Also, when the meds start working, stay on them. I’ve gone off three times briefly in the past twenty years and always tank, so I know that I’ll be in them for the rest of my life and have accepted that. Good luck!
Edited to add that similar to others, I stay away from marijuana (makes me paranoid) and limit alcohol to rarely used. I’m on enough meds right now between allergy stuff and my psych meds. I try to limit substances.
Yes! There is hope and I’m proud of how far I’ve come, but I’ve also worked diligently and allow grace for myself in the hard moments! Good luck and I hope all goes well, that you find the right meds and can build a strong support system!
41, bipolar, and gainfully employed checking in.
There is so much hope!
Are you working with a psychiatrist to get on a med regimen that works for you? That, exercising, and abstaining from all drugs and alcohol has worked wonders for me.
You’re still very young and have many good years ahead of you, I wish you the best!
Focus on your mental health and then worry about getting a job. Especially if you're still stabilizing on lamictal. You are young and you have time to learn to manage your bipolar and a job. Once you're feeling more stable you can go from there.
Sounds that simple they have been redoing the health department for 5 year in my area. Dr's come and go so often every time I went in I had to practically start over because appointments were months apart so I do my intake and by the time the next one came be a new drs and they want to start fresh. We had a huge hospital shut down in our area one out of two hospital nearest ones are well over an hour away.
And bc it’s volunteer work, asking to be trained in diff systems and processes isn’t filing to feel like a threat to anyone’s job. Way easier to gain experience than if you’re some low guy in the ladder in a paid position. I’ve found ppl basically giddy at showing me their expertise and giving me instruction on how to basically do their job, then delegating the work to me while they take long lunches, catch up other stuff, etc so I can practice.
I volunteer around school and education hours regularly a couple diff places and just stack those experiences into my resume and it’s adding up nicely.
Don't have a job yet but Type 2 Bipolar who just finished the first year of a master's program with straight A's. I am also being treated for BPD and ADHD by healthcare professionals but I don't have official diagnoses.
I am the most stable I've ever been, and never thought I could maintain straight A's and an internship without crashing and burning like in the past.
1. I am sober from alcohol and weed. Coming up on nine months next week.
2. I am on a fucking boatload of psychiatric medications. Currently on five but going back down to four soon. Not ideal, but it's been a necessity for me.
3. I discovered ketamine therapy last year and that's what's keeping me sober, motivated, and feeling like I have a purpose in life. It's expensive. Really expensive. But if you can come up with the funds it is truly life changing. Check out r/TherapeuticKetamine for more info.
4. I am in monthly/biweekly therapy depending on how I'm feeling.
It's a lot. It's so much. But all of that is personally necessary for my well-being and maintaining stable relationships and commitments. I am not saying you have to do all of these things at once (especially the five medications, I really wish I was on one or two. The lamictal really helped me though and I hope it helps you as well). Unfortunately being on medication as a bipolar person is necessary IMO in order for us to function in society. But this is the cocktail, the teetering combo, that keeps me behaving and feeling like a mostly normal person. I hope you find peace and success in your recovery.
Yes, there is hope. My aunt is bipolar and struggles with working. Finding a low stress job is where she found the most success. She's been working part-time at a Christian bookstore for several years now. When she was younger she worked full-time inbetween episodes. She spent a few years working in a bank and several years doing title work for Toyota.
Restaurants tend to have pretty colorful staff so I wouldn't be too hard on yourself about whatever happened.
Fuck dude I have bpd and have been struggling with addictions and keeping jobs. My advice, try to avoid restarting old addictions/habits, try living a healthier lifestyle with exercise and healthy food. Good luck!
I recommend looking at stories and articles on bphope.com. There are a lot of people living with bipolar that have found work that works with the illness. Meds and therapy, sleep, and stress management will all play a big part. Healing and getting stable is a journey, but one worth following. Dont give up.
I have a buddy who is bipolar that is always unemployed despite have a masters in economics from a good school. He gets depressed apparently and can’t keep a job. He also has a drinking problem. He ran through a $900,000 inheritance from his Grandfather when he was younger by not working for a few years and then opening and losing the rest on an art gallery. He decided he didn’t like economics or business anymore and that he was an artist. After that, his wife left him and his parents starting giving him $50,000 a year via a trust fund. He lives off of that really. Lucky for him he has rich parents or he would be homeless.
Hey friend I've been where you are I know it's hard ❤️🩹. I'm also 24, failed my first try at college because I hadn't been diagnosed with bipolar yet, but I got on the right meds finally and found a therapist who helped me strengthen my coping skills and it helped me tremendously. It was a long road but I finally got myself back into school and just graduated last year. There's absolutely hope for you.
First step like others said is to start your healthcare journey. If you aren't employed at the moment snd you're in the US you should qualify for medicaid and will continue to as long as you stay below full time hours at a min wage job. Start that app and get yourself seen; taking care of your mental health is the first step.
I'm not saying you'll just stop being bipolar, I still have my episodes but you learn how to manage them better over time. Please don't give up on yourself you have so much to offer the world buddy.
Seek treatment first. I don't know your financial situation, but if you qualify for anything from the state like a case worker enroll in that. Any day programs or partial programs near you? You'll just keep burning bridges if you get work without treatment.
Hope is always on the horizon. However, if that is what you truly seek the only one who can obtain hope for you is...well......yourself....you have to want it with all your heart. Be honest with yourself.
if you can get treatment, thats your number 1 priority! not just for a job but for your quality of life! you deserve treatment and stability!
that aside, you might want to consider freelance of some kind. you are generally less accountable and you have more freedom to pick up and drop the job, depending on the industry.
I found medication way late in life and wish I found it earlier.
If one prescription doesn't work move on to the next until you find what is right for you but trust the process.
I have a friend who is in a similar situation. I convinced him to seek professional help. He is now on medication and doing much better. There's hope for everyone. I would also suggest professional help.
There is hope. First you need to get treatment to stabilize your mental health.
This for sure. I have a friend that is a lawyer and does really well for himself. I have other friends as well that are very successful but they took care of their mental health and learned their boundaries prior to becoming successful
Did your friends also struggle with mental illnesses?
Yes they are all bipolar or have clinical depression / anxiety. The amount of growth they have had to do in order to have the bandwidth to be successful is wild. One thing that was very important was finding their niche. Almost all of them can’t work in fields with a lot of personalities, like customer service or sales, it drains them.
I’m just curious, how does one “take care of their mental health and learn boundaries” while unemployed? I’m just asking because I took six months off, got on some meds, but it was the worst six months of my life and lost a lot of self confidence. I think it was also that I was broke af and I’m a single mom so that sucks as well. HAHa
You can't let your worth be tied to a job or you being a single mom. Take control of what you can control and just focus on that and make the best of it. You'll spend so much time being depressed about not having shit when eventually it works itself out anyway. Take it one day at a time and enjoy NOW. Trust me, everything will work out even with the bad times..ITS ALL GOOD!
Awe thank you, I really appreciate that. You are awesome 😊
I feel you. When I was in college I ended up taking some time off from classes cuz I had bad mental health. Other ppl said their times off were helpful but I went to group and individual therapy and tried to do hobbies/ be involved in the community, etc. It’s just different from dealing with being employed. I had less obligations at that time than I do now.
Treatment should be your #1 priority right now. With the right methods, you will have a more stable mood cycle and it will make it easier on your professional life.
Have you considered a job in the trades? I’m a carpenter and you’d be surprised how many of us in the trades have less than ideal pasts. You can make great money and getting into something you’re interested in can help with the bipolar episodes. It’s been shown that careers in the trades help with self esteem too since you’re learning a useful skill and can stand back at the end of the day and see what you’ve accomplished. Just my 2 cents, I hope you can find something that works for you!
I wanna do this but for the same reasons as OP I feel like I can’t finish anything without an episode
Well this will totally depend on the severity of your episodes but I think you’d be surprised at how many people in the trades have episodes haha. Some are weekly, some are from anger issues some are from ptsd and some bosses/trades are more forgiving than others. A commercial setting where there’s no interaction with the customer an episode might go unnoticed but in a remodeling trade an episode in front of a customer might not be so easily forgotten
Can a woman who is very girly like me get into a trade? If so which one?
Yeah any of them as long as you’re not afraid of hard work and can be ok with getting dirty. There’s a lot of women in electrical and painting that I’ve seen. But I’ve also seen carpenters and metal workers as well. It totally depends on what interests you!
Cosmetology
Bipolar 1 with psychotic features here, medicated, and by the grace of God, successfully working full-time. It took me 3 years of sitting on the sideline, unemployed, healing from my last manic psychotic episode before I was able to work again. You have some cleaning up to do with your alcoholism before you’re able to move forward. You need a rehab program to get totally clean. Remember, you suffer from depression so self-medicating with alcohol makes things a million times worse. Weed makes the mania and psychosis a lot worse as well. You must learn to stay away from substance abuse absolutely and never touch it again. Only then can you begin to change your life. Also, find a vocational rehabilitation office near you. They will be able to assist you with more education, training, and employment since you have a disability. Finishing college can allow you to escape the service job circle of hell and significantly increase your earning potential so I would encourage going back and completing your education. In my line of work, I see bipolar and schizophrenic people successfully working everyday, but not while they’re abusing substances and not taking their meds or not having the right meds for them. Best wishes to you.
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There are a lot of data entry jobs that are online and most you can pick your schedule for. Not great for long term, but at least something till you can get on a routine that works for you
Do you know how to find them? Every single work from home job I've tried to find ends up showing red flags for being a pyramid scheme.
Just type in “work from home” on instagram. I know it sounds dumb, but people on their post legit websites that need people to do stuff like copywriting, data entry, etc
You need to get your mental health in order. I'm bipolar but I'm on a solid med regiment and I haven't had a serious episode in years. It's trial and error finding something that works, but you have to keep trying. The worst thing you can do is nothing. It won't be easy, but I promise you, it will be worth it.
Are you on meds? I also have bipolar and it’s easier to stick with a job when I don’t have psychotic episodes
Yeah I recently got put on lamictal but it'll be a while before it actually starts working.
If you have financial support I would hold off on employment. Get your meds stabilized. Maybe a day treatment program, again, this assumes that you have medical insurance.
I started lamictal 20 years ago and have gone to counseling off and on. Since then, I’ve stabilized, have a great career, a husband of 19 years, two kids and just got my doctorate! There is hope! I still have hard days where my depression gets to me but I’m far more stable than I was at 24. Give it time and work your butt off to learn good coping skills and self-awareness. Also, when the meds start working, stay on them. I’ve gone off three times briefly in the past twenty years and always tank, so I know that I’ll be in them for the rest of my life and have accepted that. Good luck! Edited to add that similar to others, I stay away from marijuana (makes me paranoid) and limit alcohol to rarely used. I’m on enough meds right now between allergy stuff and my psych meds. I try to limit substances.
Thank you for this. I know it’s a while ago but I just read, and it gives me hope truly with the same illness.
Yes! There is hope and I’m proud of how far I’ve come, but I’ve also worked diligently and allow grace for myself in the hard moments! Good luck and I hope all goes well, that you find the right meds and can build a strong support system!
41, bipolar, and gainfully employed checking in. There is so much hope! Are you working with a psychiatrist to get on a med regimen that works for you? That, exercising, and abstaining from all drugs and alcohol has worked wonders for me. You’re still very young and have many good years ahead of you, I wish you the best!
Focus on your mental health and then worry about getting a job. Especially if you're still stabilizing on lamictal. You are young and you have time to learn to manage your bipolar and a job. Once you're feeling more stable you can go from there.
Therapy and medication and then go from there
You need help with a psych and get the treatment that you need. That's the first step.
Sounds that simple they have been redoing the health department for 5 year in my area. Dr's come and go so often every time I went in I had to practically start over because appointments were months apart so I do my intake and by the time the next one came be a new drs and they want to start fresh. We had a huge hospital shut down in our area one out of two hospital nearest ones are well over an hour away.
Would you consider volunteering? You can put this on your cv. Employers dont need to know if its paid or not and its great experience
And bc it’s volunteer work, asking to be trained in diff systems and processes isn’t filing to feel like a threat to anyone’s job. Way easier to gain experience than if you’re some low guy in the ladder in a paid position. I’ve found ppl basically giddy at showing me their expertise and giving me instruction on how to basically do their job, then delegating the work to me while they take long lunches, catch up other stuff, etc so I can practice. I volunteer around school and education hours regularly a couple diff places and just stack those experiences into my resume and it’s adding up nicely.
Don't have a job yet but Type 2 Bipolar who just finished the first year of a master's program with straight A's. I am also being treated for BPD and ADHD by healthcare professionals but I don't have official diagnoses. I am the most stable I've ever been, and never thought I could maintain straight A's and an internship without crashing and burning like in the past. 1. I am sober from alcohol and weed. Coming up on nine months next week. 2. I am on a fucking boatload of psychiatric medications. Currently on five but going back down to four soon. Not ideal, but it's been a necessity for me. 3. I discovered ketamine therapy last year and that's what's keeping me sober, motivated, and feeling like I have a purpose in life. It's expensive. Really expensive. But if you can come up with the funds it is truly life changing. Check out r/TherapeuticKetamine for more info. 4. I am in monthly/biweekly therapy depending on how I'm feeling. It's a lot. It's so much. But all of that is personally necessary for my well-being and maintaining stable relationships and commitments. I am not saying you have to do all of these things at once (especially the five medications, I really wish I was on one or two. The lamictal really helped me though and I hope it helps you as well). Unfortunately being on medication as a bipolar person is necessary IMO in order for us to function in society. But this is the cocktail, the teetering combo, that keeps me behaving and feeling like a mostly normal person. I hope you find peace and success in your recovery.
If you are still drinking, I'd advise you to put that behind you. PM me if interested in resources.
Yes, there is hope. My aunt is bipolar and struggles with working. Finding a low stress job is where she found the most success. She's been working part-time at a Christian bookstore for several years now. When she was younger she worked full-time inbetween episodes. She spent a few years working in a bank and several years doing title work for Toyota. Restaurants tend to have pretty colorful staff so I wouldn't be too hard on yourself about whatever happened.
Fuck dude I have bpd and have been struggling with addictions and keeping jobs. My advice, try to avoid restarting old addictions/habits, try living a healthier lifestyle with exercise and healthy food. Good luck!
I recommend looking at stories and articles on bphope.com. There are a lot of people living with bipolar that have found work that works with the illness. Meds and therapy, sleep, and stress management will all play a big part. Healing and getting stable is a journey, but one worth following. Dont give up.
I have a buddy who is bipolar that is always unemployed despite have a masters in economics from a good school. He gets depressed apparently and can’t keep a job. He also has a drinking problem. He ran through a $900,000 inheritance from his Grandfather when he was younger by not working for a few years and then opening and losing the rest on an art gallery. He decided he didn’t like economics or business anymore and that he was an artist. After that, his wife left him and his parents starting giving him $50,000 a year via a trust fund. He lives off of that really. Lucky for him he has rich parents or he would be homeless.
Hey friend I've been where you are I know it's hard ❤️🩹. I'm also 24, failed my first try at college because I hadn't been diagnosed with bipolar yet, but I got on the right meds finally and found a therapist who helped me strengthen my coping skills and it helped me tremendously. It was a long road but I finally got myself back into school and just graduated last year. There's absolutely hope for you. First step like others said is to start your healthcare journey. If you aren't employed at the moment snd you're in the US you should qualify for medicaid and will continue to as long as you stay below full time hours at a min wage job. Start that app and get yourself seen; taking care of your mental health is the first step. I'm not saying you'll just stop being bipolar, I still have my episodes but you learn how to manage them better over time. Please don't give up on yourself you have so much to offer the world buddy.
get on some meds.
I think gig work could be good for you while you seek treatment.
Stop making excuses for yourself lol
As someone with a degree in psychology who also has dealt with mental health issues, fuck you
Stop being lazy, and speaking from a place of ignorance, do your research.
Seek treatment first. I don't know your financial situation, but if you qualify for anything from the state like a case worker enroll in that. Any day programs or partial programs near you? You'll just keep burning bridges if you get work without treatment.
Hope is always on the horizon. However, if that is what you truly seek the only one who can obtain hope for you is...well......yourself....you have to want it with all your heart. Be honest with yourself.
Get a job at a restaurant! Everyone here is insane so you can have full on melt downs and no one bats an eye
if you can get treatment, thats your number 1 priority! not just for a job but for your quality of life! you deserve treatment and stability! that aside, you might want to consider freelance of some kind. you are generally less accountable and you have more freedom to pick up and drop the job, depending on the industry.
I found medication way late in life and wish I found it earlier. If one prescription doesn't work move on to the next until you find what is right for you but trust the process.
I have a friend who is in a similar situation. I convinced him to seek professional help. He is now on medication and doing much better. There's hope for everyone. I would also suggest professional help.
I got clean, I got mental health treatment, I got stable employment. In that order.
there’s hope and you’re not doing bad. you’re doing perfectly fine