Positive Mondays...

Starting the work week can be rough. This week I only received 23 hours so it's a cake walk. I love that I can manage the hours easily now. It didn't always used to be so. I had a hard time recovering from a bipolar episode and threw myself into a job probably too early. My recovery was jump started though and I have progressed steadily ever since.

In the beginning I got advice on how to manage the start of a work week and I'd like to share it with the reader of this blog. I think they are great tips if you are bipolar. They help me stay on track while dealing with a mental illness. Here goes...

Make a list... I was advised to write things down in order to keep track of my week. Starting with a simple goal like "be on time" is easily accomplished if you are a stickler for it like me. Keeping it simple and getting it done puts you on a good "roll". There's nothing like checking off items from your list to make you feel good about your efforts!

Develop an attitude of acceptance... If you are bipolar like me, you can get discouraged when facing a set back. Say for instance you are late for work one day. Don't dwell on it. Look for ways to improve over time. The nature of bipolar is to get depressed and then swing into mania, so avoid the extremes by having realistic expectations for your week. Accept what comes your way by realizing that good and not so good things will happen. Stay on track by accepting the ups and downs of work life while holding the middle ground.

I have always had a hard time staying with a job for any length of time, so this advice really helped. Because I was diagnosed and receiving assistance from the county I was appointed a job coach. She is the one who passed on this info. It was great to know I could count on someone for support and I would recommend such help to anyone struggling with mental illness in the workplace.

We all need help sticking with it during a demanding work week. Having a mental illness makes it double hard. I'll take any advice and try any suggestion. I look forward to the day I can work full time. Working while in recovery has been quite a challenge, but I think I am getting stronger and better because of it! Good luck to you in your work week and if you are living with a disorder and are luck enough to have a job, hang in there!!