Our Bipolar

22/07/2024

On Saturday, I spoke at the 2nd Annual Stomp the Stigma 5K Fun Run/Walk in Pittsburgh. 💚

My topic: how to support someone with mental illness. 🤟🏼

I also briefly shared my bipolar diagnosis story and life today.

Video out Friday 🎤💁🏻‍♀️

Proceeds go to NAMI Keystone Pennsylvania. You can still donate via Venmo:

-Jess

19/07/2024

NOW ON YOUTUBE: I’m in Depression 🖤😳

It’s been awhile, Darkness. But it’s time for you to leave. 🙏🏻☀️

It’s mild depression. I call it “hypodepression” to compare to it’s counterpoint, hypomania.

In this video, I talk about the cause of my depression (it’s situational per usual for me), my symptoms, and what I’m doing to get better. 🤷🏻‍♀️

✨New videos are posted on Fridays at noon EST✨

-Jess

It's been awhile, Darkness. I didn’t miss you. It's time for you to leave.I'm back in mild depression. I call it "hypodepression" to compare to it's counterp...

16/07/2024

💙

12/07/2024

NOW ON YOUTUBE: Let’s Talk Trauma and Bipolar with Brit Michelle 📣

This is a special one, friends. ❤️

Brit () tells her heartbreaking story of trauma that ultimately led to reclaiming her power and a life filled with gratitude. 🎉🎉🎉

HOW IT STARTED

-born into a doomsday cult, the Worldwide Church of God
-physical and emotional abuse during childhood, as instructed by the cult
-suicidal ideation and drinking at age 10
-sexually assaulted by her boyfriend
-emotional abuse and cheated on by her wife

HOW IT’S GOING 💪🏼

-received bipolar diagnosis
-divorced her wife
-taken in and loved by a caring family when she had nowhere to go
-posted her story about ex-wife on IG, which helped others leave abusive relationships
-now lives on her own and feels grateful for the life she’s built

Brit on bipolar: “I don’t want to fix that part of me, I just want to make room for it.” Omg yes!!!!! 👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼

I’m in total awe of Brit. At times during our conversation I was holding back tears of sadness, and at other times holding back tears of joy. 🥹

Please watch this inspirational story and share it with a friend.

✨New videos are posted on Fridays at noon EST✨

-Jess

This is a special one, friends. Brit Michelle (https://www.instagram.com/itsbrittanywitch_/) tells her heartbreaking story of trauma that ultimately led to r...

05/07/2024

My June bipolar recap + GRWM is OUT NOW on YouTube!

June brought depression. 😳 I’m still dealing with it.

If you have bipolar, do you tend to have more mania or depression?

I’m a mixed mania girlie myself, so depression feels somewhat foreign when it shows up in my life. 😬

Currently fighting back. 💪🏼💪🏼💪🏼

✨New videos are posted on Fridays at noon EST✨

https://youtube.com/

-Jess

I recap what happened in my life in June and how it affected my bipolar while doing my morning skincare and makeup routine.I'll say straight out that I had d...

01/07/2024

Hi friends! I have some new followers, and it’s been ages since I shared any info about me, so here you go!

Feel free to share something about you in the comments. 💜

💡 I was diagnosed bipolar 1 at 19 at the beginning of my sophomore year of college after a night-into-morning spectacle in my dorm room.

💡I started pre-med at the University of Pittsburgh but took a semester off after diagnosis. Then I transferred to Washington & Jefferson College so I could live at home and changed my major to English so I could actually graduate.

💡I’m on lithium and a teeny bit of Seroquel. The initial 8 years before I got on lithium were difficult. Lithium saved me from my former life as a rapid cycler. 💊

💡I have chronic migraine and have tried more meds for that than for bipolar.

💡I have been married to Bryan for 13 years and together 16 years. 👩🏻‍❤️‍👨🏽

💡We had a destination wedding in the Caribbean to avoid the stress of a big wedding possibly causing symptoms.

💡I dealt with infertility from endometriosis but got pregnant after a couple years via IUI.

💡Our daughter Pearson is 8. 👧🏼

💡I have a YouTube channel also called Our Bipolar (link in bio).

💡I’m a speaker for NAMI as part of their In Our Own Voice program.

💡I work full-time as an assistant managing editor for peer-reviewed journals at ASM.

💡I was born in Pittsburgh and live here now, but I lived in DC after college for 13 years where important milestones in my life happened (in order): I found my psychiatrist who I still see virtually, started working at ASM, met Bryan, and had Pearson.

-Jess

01/07/2024

I should’ve shared a mood scale a long time ago. 😳

I’ve seen every level, though it’s been nearly 2 decades since 9 and 10.

Any questions? Comment or dm me. ❤️

-Jess

28/06/2024

NOW ON YOUTUBE: Let’s Talk From Shame & Self-Stigma To Bipolar Advocate & Speaker w/ Paris Scobie 🤍

Paris Scobie (.scobie ) is a bipolar advocate who has made it her mission to connect with and support the bipolar community and beyond. 🙌🏼

After being hospitalized under a court order and diagnosed with bipolar 1 at 19, Paris struggled with her diagnosis.

Over time, Paris learned lifestyle changes that worked for her and went on to:

✅ Work as a case manager at the same hospital where she was a patient

✅ Host the Live Well Bipolar™ podcast

✅ Write and publish her book Crooked Illness

✅ Become a professional speaker to inspire others with her experience

Paris Scobie is the real deal. She has accomplished so much because she believes that connecting with others about mental health improves lives. I agree with her 100%.

❤️ Sharing our personal stories makes an impact.

❤️ Sharing tools to help people with their mental health makes an impact.

❤️ Paris has made an impact and will continue to do so.

✨New videos are posted on Fridays at noon EST✨

-Jess

Paris Scobie is a bipolar advocate who has made it her mission to connect with and support the bipolar community and beyond. After being hospitalized under a...

25/06/2024

21/06/2024

NOW ON YOUTUBE: I DID IT!!!!! 🤯😮🤯

How and Why I Disclosed Bipolar to My Work Team. Smart move or big mistake⁉️

I also discuss why I haven’t disclosed to HR. I’m not counting out doing so in the future.

Whether to disclose bipolar to your coworkers or HR can be a difficult decision. I feel it should be decided on a case by case basis.

Stigma is real but shattering it is soooooooo fun. 🤩

To my coworkers seeing this post: THANK YOU for your support! I work with the very best. ❤️

✨New videos are posted on Fridays at noon EST✨

https://youtube.com/

-Jess

Previous video: Should I Disclose My Bipolar at Work? | Coworkers, HR, Accommodations Discussionhttps://youtu.be/V-KDlTJCVP8Here I tell my story of how and w...

19/06/2024

Facts 💯

I find that reading news > watching news, but no news can be the best way to stay sane. This world. 🌎

16/06/2024

I hope you celebrate your bipolar wins! The L’s will happen, so ones that I can avoid are real triumphs. 🎉🎉🎉

Travel can be problematic for those of us with bipolar. Travel for work adds another layer of stress. I’m so grateful I was able to stay on track. 😅

Happy Father’s Day if you celebrate! It’s a complicated holiday for many. My husband Bryan is so deserving of praise so I do honor him on this day and every day. ❤️

-Jess

14/06/2024

NEW VIDEO! My Bipolar HATES Taylor Swift 😮

And we-EEEEEE are never, ever, ever getting back together 😂

-Jess

And we-EEEEEE are never, ever, ever getting back together. ✌🏼-Jess💻 Blog: https://ourbipolar.com💚 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ourbipolar/👋🏼 Fac...

12/06/2024

Just like any other person on this Earth, people with bipolar contain multitudes. Bipolar is just one part of me.

07/06/2024

NOW ON YOUTUBE: How to best support those living with bipolar or schizophrenia ❤️

In today’s video I talk with Christina Mitchell, the caregiver and legal guardian for her mom Lynn and Aunt Lynore. 📣

https://youtu.be/IHq6nOVArh8

Both her mom and aunt are diagnosed with bipolar and schizophrenia (aka schizoaffective disorder).

Guardianship has drastically improved the lives of Christina’s mom and aunt, as well as her own. 🙌🏼

Find Christina on IG at , where she shows her raw and real experiences being a legal guardian and helps others on their caregiving and legal guardian journeys. ❤️

Christina also hosts “Let’s Talk” Live, an IG Live interview series where her guests share their stories of mental illness and caregiving. 💪🏼

Jess on “Let’s Talk” Live: https://www.instagram.com/reel/C4jfjzvssOa/?igsh=YnRqcWhwOWV5a3d1

✨New videos are posted on Fridays at noon EST✨

-Jess

Christina Mitchell is the caregiver and legal guardian for her mom Lynn and Aunt Lynore, who are both diagnosed with bipolar and schizophrenia (aka schizoaff...

02/06/2024

A new ending to “The Giving Tree”…

Boundaries are NOT unkind.
Boundaries are NOT selfish.
Boundaries are NOT mean.
Boundaries are NOT controlling.

Boundaries ARE a way to share YOUR limits.
Boundaries ARE a way to protect YOUR mental, emotional, physical, and financial health.
Boundaries ARE a way to express YOUR needs.
Boundaries ARE a way to control how YOU respond to another person’s choices.
Boundaries ARE HEALTHY!

Giving everything… sacrificing everything… isn’t noble, romantic, or selfless.

It’s unhealthy.

What it communicates to another (whether you mean it to or not) is, you can treat me whatever way you’d like- even with disrespect and I’ll just keep giving.

It’s time for change. It’s time for healthy boundaries.
It not only helps you, but also supports and challenges another in a healthy way.

So with that being said… the Tree finally replied, “No, it’s time we set some boundaries”. And the tree was happy…
💙🌳

31/05/2024

My May bipolar recap + GRWM video is OUT NOW on YouTube!

While I do my nighttime skincare routine, I recap what happened in my life in May and how it affected my bipolar… while being my usual dorky self. 🤪

I talk about the med and lifestyle adjustments I made to try to avoid symptoms, including the things I purposely DIDN’T do. Watch to see if I was successful. 🤞🏼

✨New videos are posted on Fridays at noon EST✨

https://youtube.com/

-Jess

While I do my nighttime skincare routine, I recap what happened in my life inMay and how it affected my bipolar… while being my usual dorky self. 🤪I talk ab...

24/05/2024

NOW ON YOUTUBE 👀

In today’s video I talk with Matt Smith, a pro-YouTuber with bipolar 2 who runs the uber successful hip hop channel ​⁠What’s The Dirt? 📣👇🏼

https://youtube.com/

Watch Matt describe his journey from having trouble in traditional 9-5 jobs because of bipolar to being his own boss and THRIVING on YouTube with over 300k subscribers. 😮

He shares the meds and lifestyle changes that work for him, the pros and cons of being a YouTuber with bipolar, and the importance of therapy to keep him on track.

✨New videos are posted on Fridays at noon EST✨

https://youtube.com/

-Jess

Matt Smith is a pro-YouTuber with bipolar 2 who runs the uber successful and highly sought-after hip hop channel . Watch Matt describe his journ...

21/05/2024

17/05/2024

NOW ON YOUTUBE: A Month of Full-Blown Mania in Italy: The Agony and the Ecstasy 📣

This video is about my study abroad trip in Italy while in the throes of mania.

It was 2001. I was young, dumb, and not properly medicated for my bipolar 1. 💔

I NEVER should have gone on this trip. Maybe you can relate or learn from my past mistakes. 👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼

✨New videos are posted on Fridays at noon EST✨

-Jess

This video is about my study abroad trip in Italy while in the throes of full-blown mania. It was 2001. I was young, dumb, and not properly medicated. 💔 I s...

12/05/2024

Our Bipolar has reached 400 followers! ✨ Thank you for being part of this community, and Happy Mother’s Day to all my fellow amazing moms. ❤️

-Jess

10/05/2024

NOW ON YOUTUBE: Let’s Talk Hospitalization vs Home Care for Bipolar 📣

My dear friend Moss and I chat about:
-inpatient hospitalization
-intensive outpatient (IOP)
-acute home care
based on our own lived experiences with bipolar 🤍

We cover many topics including:

-Why was acute treatment needed?
-Why we chose inpatient, outpatient, or home care?
-Who was involved in our care?
-What were treatment specifics in the hospital and at home?
-What assessments were done?
-When did acute treatment end and how best to transition to routine treatment?

✨New videos are posted on Fridays at noon EST✨

-Jess

My dear friend Moss and I chat about inpatient hospitalization, intensive outpatient (IOP), and acute home care for bipolar based on our own lived experience...

09/05/2024

TOMORROW ON YT—Let’s Talk Hospitalization vs Home Care for Bipolar w/ Moss .roam .roam

New videos are posted on Fridays at noon EST.

https://youtube.com/

-Jess

03/05/2024

My April bipolar recap + GRWM video is out now!

I go through my morning routine and look back at April, which pretty much sucked. 😩 Can anyone relate? 🙋🏻‍♀️

I talk about the med and lifestyle adjustments I made to try to stop hypomania before it starts.🤞🏼

New videos are posted on Fridays at noon EST.

-Jess



Bipolar Recap + GRWM | April 2024 | Get Ready With Me | Over 40 with Rosacea Skincare Routine

This is my first GRWM video and also my first monthly recap! While I go through my morning routine, I look back at what happened the previous month (April wa...