Some Thoughts I Would Like To Share

[Brother Jeff]

Posted this to Facebook a few minutes ago, and it goes along with this thread that I posted here this morning:

 

http://www.ex-christian.net/topic/64238-thank-you-so-much/#.U-_71PldV8H

 

I have been thinking and writing a lot about mental illness, depression, and suicide since the news of Robin William's tragic death was made public. I write about this stuff frequently anyway, always being open and honest about my own struggles with the hellish illness known as bipolar disorder. I have known the depths of severe suicidal depression and I have known the heights of severe bipolar mania. I have gone days without sleep and back in 2012, I ran up $16,000 in credit card debt in a matter of days. I was not living in the real world and I was not thinking about the consequences of my actions. Fortunately, my father is well off enough that he was able to pay that mountain of debt off and save my credit rating, for which I will always be grateful. I'm sure he had other plans for that huge chunk of money, though... and I learned my lesson about credit cards. That will never happen again! 

 

I almost lost my life to severe bipolar depression back in 2011. But I recovered, and since then a lot of good things have happened to me. I am doing so well now that most of the time I can't even tell that I have bipolar disorder. I am trained as a health coach now, and soon I will have the awesome privilege of helping others recover from mental illness as well. As my friend Kristen pointed out yesterday, that's why I survived. It's my destiny to help others recover from the same hellish existence that I once knew and once had no hope of ever escaping. Life is amazing now and I enjoy living it so much. And I have a very bright future ahead of me that is going to be so very rewarding. Sometimes I think I need to pinch myself to make sure it's actually real. Life is FUN and AWESOME, and back in 2011 I almost robbed myself of the opportunity to have the life that I enjoy now. I am so incredibly fortunate to still be here, and I know it. Extreme gratitude to the folks who helped me pull through three years ago. I love you all so much...