Knowing that everyone will be leaving me and that I’ll be home by myself again is making me very anxious. I have bipolar II, and I tend to have more depressive episodes. My last depressive episode was in the winter of 2019, so I’ve been stable for a while now. I'm worried that the isolation will cause me to fall into depression and lie awake at night and think about it.
I feel like there's a good chance that even though I will do everything I can to prevent going into a depression, it's going to happen. What gives me hope is that summer is around the corner. I also have seasonal affective disorder (SAD) and can become depressed in the winter. My family is working on getting fully vaccinated, and we’re going to Hawaii this summer with my parents, my siblings, and their kids. As more people get vaccinated, I’m excited at the thought of things opening back up, even though it's going to be an altered normal.” —Erin Lorensen, 43
3. “When you have bipolar disorder, having a routine is like exercising a muscle that strengthens your mental health.”
“I got my formal diagnosis of bipolar II at the beginning of 2019. The pandemic hit almost exactly a year later just as I got to the point where I was managing my condition. I had been on my medication for a year and got a part-time job to ease back into the workforce after taking a leave of absence.
When you have bipolar disorder, having a routine is like exercising a muscle that strengthens your mental health. And I didn't realize how many routines I had that involved being around other people until I couldn't do any of them anymore. All of a sudden, I had to stop what I was doing and find new routines.
In particular, work has always been a safe space for me, mental health-wise. I work in retail and my store closed, so I was furloughed for three months. That really impacted me. If I didn't have to go to work, what was the point of getting out of bed? I’m lucky to have the greatest husband in the world, and he gave me purpose.
My store has been open again for a while now, and as a manager, it’s my job to make sure people who come in are wearing masks. Even though the CDC has recently issued guidelines saying that people who are fully vaccinated don’t need to wear masks inside, we won’t be lifting restrictions anytime soon.
I've worked in retail for almost 10 years, so I've learned to put on a cool and collected face. I have the same confrontation about masks two times a week or so, and it never gets any easier. I’m aware that COVID-19 protocols could affect the health and well-being of my associates and me.
The pandemic put some added pressure on me to manage my mental illness and appear like I'm ‘okay’ at work. I'm doing pretty well. I still have my bad days, but I have a very supportive husband, and my family has been amazing. I feel like if this was a test, I would have passed.” —Emily Fuller, 30
4. “I’m not afraid; I’m cautious.”
“During 2020, in addition to coping with the pandemic, I was processing grief. I still am. My father died in December 2019, and in May 2020, my sister Valerie died suddenly of a stroke. She was one of the best people at helping me manage my bipolar disorder. She could always tell if my speech was faster or slower than normal, which are signs that I may have a manic or depressive episode. During the past year, I also had a friend pass away from COVID-19.
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May 22, 2021 at 01:45AM
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'Re-Entry Anxiety': 5 People With Bipolar Disorder Discuss Their Worries - SELF
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