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Tomorrow marks my 6th week and final day in outpatient treatment for depression as part of my #bipolar disorder. It is also the day I start a new journal so I’m going to do a thread using a journal prompt, known as GLADS+1, that I was taught in treatment. (1/10)

G. I am GRATEFUL to have the resources (insurance, employment, family support) to have sought the help I needed during a really dark time in my life. (2/10)

L. I LEARNED that while I have a mental illness, it does not make me any less capable of thriving in this world. Getting on the right medication combination taught me a whole array of new emotions that I am learning not just to live with, but to love. (3/10)

A. I ACCOMPLISHED taking the time to focus on myself in an unprecedented way. Self-care is real and doesn’t just have to be mani/pedis and vacations. Sometimes it can be using coping skills or talking to friends when you need them. (4/10)

D. I DELIGHTED in the relationships I built with people in and out of my treatment program. I even have begun to delight in going to work every day and seeing it as part of the adventure I am blessed with. (5/10)

S. I took 6 weeks of SELF CARE at between Tucker’s Partial Hospitalization Program and Intensive Outpatient Program. I didn’t hold myself to an unrealistic expectation of work. I listened to what my body was telling me and allowed myself the time I needed to heal. (6/10)

+1. One positive quality about myself is that I am resilient. I felt broken and lost when I started this journey and questioned if I would ever get back to my old self. I didn’t get back to my old self, I forged a new and improved self in this journey. (7/10)

Finishing this round of treatment doesn’t mean my struggle or journey is over. Infact, the next chapter is just beginning. Two months ago I was at a very bleak and scary place in my life. I felt alone and hopeless. (8/10)

Doing this prompt regularly, I’ve been able to see that days are worse than others and my biggest accomplishment is getting out of bed. But every day I see how much I have to be grateful for from friends to family to opportunities. No matter how small, there is something. (9/10)

What I hope you take away from this thread is that it can get better and you are not alone. 🖤

Also... check in on your friends. Ask how you can support them. 🖤 (10/10)

#mentalhealth #mentalhealthawareness #bipolar #bipolarawareness #bipolardisorder