A Writer Living with Bipolar Disorder- Guest Post By Alexa Rosa

I’m a writer. I also suffer from bipolar disorder. It’s not easy. My depression eats me up alive. My mania drives me insane. It truly is a balancing act, one I can’t really control. Some medications worked for a while but so many only made things worse. Yet, each day, I try to make the best of it. I try to learn from every situation, using those lessons to create poems, articles, and stories.

I was eight years old when a teacher introduced me to poetry. It was the best way for me to share my jumbled up feelings. It taught me to organize my racing thoughts, getting to the point of what I wanted to share, and expressing myself with beautiful descriptive words. I haven’t stopped writing since.

Whenever I feel sad, I write. I may forget about it, storing it somewhere in a notebook or on my laptop. But when I find it again, I’m always in awe. Did I really write that? That’s what I love about writing. I can transform pain, hurt, confusion, and negativity into an art piece. I did that. I created that. It reminds me of my strength and my will to keep going. It builds my confidence when the depression tries to steal it.

With all of my experiences, I’ve learned to take nothing and no one for granted. I pay attention to the smallest details. I appreciate the sunlight, even when it hurts my eyes and I prefer the darkness. I appreciate the wind, even if it blows my curls out of my hair. I’ve learned to see the good in every situation, even when I’m convinced there’s nothing positive to see at all. I always find that there’s one and then two and then sometimes, three.

Writing has become my therapy. There is nothing better than to share my feelings, where no one can tell me I shouldn’t feel those things. Rereading my own words has healed me more than anyone’s well-meaning advice. Editing my work has taught me that I can always make things better, that the moment of hell will pass. And it does. Each and every time.

See The Good would like to thank Alexa Rosa for contributing this guest post.

Alexa Rosa developed a love for writing at 8 years old. She enjoys writing poetry, inspirational quotes, short stories, realistic fiction, adult fiction, and non-fiction. She’s working on a memoir, a self-help, several books of short stories, and several novels. She was born and raised in New York City but now lives in Upstate New York with her son and two adorable chinchillas.

Please visit her website at http://www.alexarosa.com/