You may also experience depressive episodes and feel sad, hopeless, or uninterested in things you usually enjoy.
In either episode, some peopleexperience psychosismarked by either hallucinations or delusions.)
There are various types of bipolar disorder, which are classified by the severity of your symptoms.
This is an image of an Asian mother and her daughter being playful outside
Individuals with bipolar II disorder may experience manic and depressive episodes but not for the same period of time.
All of these were present for many people during the pandemic.
My experience with bipolar has taught me the importance of therapy for me and my kids.
My son is 12 and my daughter is 10; theyre in sixth and fourth grades.
Their schools closed in March 2020, which was challenging.
I was under a lot of stress not knowing what was going to happen.
At the same time, my family was so isolated.
We werent going out; we werent seeing our friends.
It was overwhelming for all of us.
The hardest part to me about having bipolar and being a mom duringCOVID-19is balancing everything.
During COVID-19, Ive had nights when I was stressed out and didnt sleep well.
On those occasions I double-check to go to bed early the next night.
My experience with bipolar has taught me the importance of therapy for me and my kids.
In 2017, I had a manic episode following the death of my close friend and cofounder.
My kids saw the beginning of that episode before my husband got me to the hospital.
We found a child psychiatrist, who helped them understand more about bipolar.
She gave them some coping mechanisms and reminded them how to decompress.
The pandemic has elevated the conversation about mental health because everyone has been touched by it somehow.
We need to take this opportunity toengage with our kidsabout mental health.
It can be a growth opportunity for so many people if they would have those conversations with their families.
Jennifer Marshall, 42
2.
Its okay to cry if youre having a hard day.
My partner, Chris, and I have a blended family with six kids between ages 5 and 15.
Sometimes we have two or three at home, and sometimes its everyone.
From that, they know that itsokay to cryif youre having a bad day.
January and February are the hardest months for me because of the weather.
Healthwise, I was especially worried about my mom, who lives 10 minutes away.
Shes 70 and she was still going to her social work job in the early days.
I would wake up at 2 a.m., sometimes crying, worrying about her.
Were a very close family, so it was hard not seeing her.
One of the big sources of comfort to me has been the woods behind our home.
Laura Riordan, 40
3.
Above all, I think moms with bipolar need to know its okay to ask for help.
Im a single mom.
My son is five, and his dad and I coparent really well.
Being able to take on more parenting responsibilities today reminds me of how far Ive come.
Im managing my bipolar, and Im four years sober as of March 2021.
I run on the manic side, and my bipolar manifests as frustration and irritation.
Not to the point where Im yelling at people, but I can feel it building in myself.
Before COVID-19, I didnt know that irritation was a symptom of bipolar.
When I start to feel that frustration creeping in, I dont want my son to see it.
I check in with myself: Did I remember to go outside and exercise?
Did I drink water?
Did I get a good nights sleep?
Above all, I think moms with bipolar need to know its okay to ask for help.
But I want to be better at reaching out for the help I need.
Beth Starck, 42
4.
I decided I needed to go back on medication for my bipolar.
In March 2020, I was also finishing my masters degree.
When COVID-19 hit, everything changed.
My childrens father and I had to change how we coparented.
No one puts a pandemic in the parenting plan!
With no school, we had to coordinate care together.
I also switched to remote therapy, which I found more intimate than in-person sessions.
Thats when I started hiking.
At first my son was reluctant, but he got used to it.
I also took up roller-skating, which was really fun.
Planning what we would do every week gave me that structure that is so helpful with bipolar.
And my kids really liked all the activities.
They say, Wow, we did so much this year!
Unfortunately, at New Years Icontracted COVID-19myself.
I had a lot of neurological symptoms, including fatigue and brain fog.
Making it to the end of 2020 only to get sick brought me really low.
Moms are not superwomen, and we need help too.
We are human beings just trying to get by day-to-day.
Gleni J., 31
5.
COVID-19 taught me to value resilience over perfection.
But stress is amajor triggerfor many people with bipolar, and I was under a lot of pressure.
My daughter was four months old when COVID-19 hit and the pandemic changed our lives overnight.
Im an archaeologist, so I dont really like sitting in front of a screen all day.
I came up with lots of activities for my daughter and me to do together.
Tactile activities were good for her development, while also helping me escape the screen for a while.
And on top of that, in the pandemic, even going to the grocery store felt scary.
Ultimately, I had a manic episode andpsychosisand was hospitalized.
Because of COVID-19, I checked out after three days and instead did an outpatient program.
It ended up being a blessing in disguise.
Im lucky that I had a lot of support from my husband and my family.
I know a lot of people with bipolar dont have that.
Feeling like I couldnt be there for my daughter was the worst part of my episode.
Now I value resilience instead of perfection.
To other moms with bipolar trying to get through COVID-19, I would say, Dont be too rigid.
And when I started to get healthy, I was able to set more realistic expectations.
Annie Riegert Cummings, 29
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