Mountain View
Scott Ninneman @ Speaking Bipolar
Over Half of Bipolar Disorder Patients Also Struggle With ADHD
A look at bipolar disorder and ADHD, and how to manage your symptoms. I often joke about being like the dog from Up! Even when I try my best, the slightest shiny object will steal my attention. I sit down to write a story, and five minutes later, I’m cleaning the grout in the shower with a toothbrush.
Bipolar Disorder Can Cause the Patient To Feel Bitter Feelings of Shame
Three tips to overcome the shame caused by mental illness. A friend asks if I’m okay. I pause, purse my lips, and contemplate my reply. In a million ways, I’m not okay, but will my friend understand? It’s always a tightrope walk between the truth and what a listener can handle.
Social Anxiety With Bipolar Disorder: Turning Time With Friends Into a Tough Challenge
A look inside a bipolar mind after a dinner party. I’m notorious among my group of friends for turning down social invites. It’s amazing I have any friends left as often as I reply with a ‘no’ to their invitations. The guilt crushes me, but I feel helpless most days to offer another answer.
Daylight Saving Time and Bipolar Disorder
How time changes affect bipolar, and the steps you can take to lessen the impact. I have a love-hate relationship with spring. On the positive side, I love spring flowers, warmer weather, and the freedom to ditch wearing a coat. Over on the negative side, I dislike pollen so thick you can write your name in it, the mad rush to get my taxes done on time, and the life-destroying start of daylight saving time.
Journaling Is an Effective Tool for Maintaining Good Mental Health
How keeping a journal can make your life better. Is there an unending list of things you need to do and people you should call? Does the pure volume of information running through your mind overwhelm you?
Many Express Their Love Without Using the Word
People are telling you they care. Are you listening?. "Be careful,” my new friend called out to me as I was walking out her front door. “Um, okay,” I called back. It seemed strange to me, a young man raised in central Wisconsin, for my new southern friend to tell me to be careful.
Familial Mediterranean Fever: A Painful Chronic Illness That Disrupts the Lives of Many
Sharing the challenges of living with chronic illness. A man getting out of bed and feeling ill.Photo byAndrea Piacquadio/Pexels. A day with Familial Mediterranean Fever goes a little something like this:
People With Mental Health Problems Are No More Likely To Be Violent Than Anyone Else
Three lies about mental illness to stop believing and the real truth about them. Magnifying glass showing facts.Photo byGerd Altmann/Pixabay. “You have bipolar disorder,” my new doctor told me. She was as friendly as a stink bug, but with less of a smile and a stronger scent.
Caring for Aging Parents Feels Like An Ever-Changing Dance
The four things to remember as you care for your parents. An older woman sitting next to pink flowers.Photo byBenjamin Balazs/Pixabay. This was my greeting. Her bank statement clutched in her right hand, she glared at me with a mother’s disapproving eyes.
Part of Depression Is Feeling Like a Burden
Eight helpful phrases for when you don't know what to say to the depressed. A hand reaching our of the water toward a lifebelt.Photo byGerd Altmann/Pixabay. Depression is scary. It’s frightening when you feel yourself slipping into the blackness. It’s equally terrifying as you watch a loved one succumb to it.
The Butterfly Circus: a Short Film Full of Life Lessons
A simple tale to help you focus on your strengths and not your weaknesses. Most of my life, I didn’t share my writing with the world. Even though writing has been an essential part of my life since I was old enough to string words together, there was a part of me that worried my writing was never good enough to share.
Reflecting on 30 Years and How Little I Knew at Age 20
Things I wish I had known as a young adult. Red pencils and envelope on a blue desk.Lucas Wendt/Pixabay. In the fall of 1992, I got into my blue 1989 Toyota Corolla and drove away from my family and friends. I was 20 years old and on the cusp of a brand new life. My smile was wide as the thrill of possibility stoked flames inside my stomach.
Southern Women and What They Mean by Saying, “Bless Your Heart”
The meaning depends on how she says it. A table with flowers and a woman's hat.Gabriele M. Reinhardt/Pixabay. When you live in the South, Bless Your Heart is part of everyday life. It’s a simple truth that television and filmmakers capitalize on.
10 Things to Do in Chattanooga This November to Improve Your Mental Health
Whatever you like, Chattanooga has a place for you to ease your anxiety. Fall overlooking Chattanooga, Tennessee.David Mark/Pixabay. As the leaves finish changing colors and drop from the trees and the weather gets cooler, it's easy to let your mental health slide. There’s no reason for that to happen, because there are plenty of things to do in Chattanooga in November to help you stay happy and healthy.
Untreated Mental Illness May Explain Why More Men Die From Suicide and Alcohol Abuse
A look at common mental disorders affecting men and how to cope. A depressed man thinking about his mental health.Jowanna Daley/Pixabay. It’s no secret that men are not always the best at taking care of their mental health. In fact, according to the National Library of Medicine, “men are more likely than women to die by suicide.” But why is this? Why are men more likely to suffer from mental disorders and why are they less likely to seek help?
I Am Scott Ninneman, and I Have Bipolar Disorder
Grieving two suicides helped me share my authentic self with the world through the Speaking Bipolar site. Blog in big letters on a blue background.Gerd Altmann/Pixabay. “And he's bipolar. You know what that means.” My boss was 10 minutes into his latest gossip fest.
Stress and Anxiety Rates Have Never Been Higher, and Watching the News May Be the Reason
What I do when it all gets to be too much. Reporter holding a camera showing the world.Gerd Altmann/Pixabay. Does the news keep you awake at night? Stress conjured by the evening’s broadcast may chase sleep away. If the news keeps you up at night, you're not alone, but there are things you can do to stop the trend.
Bipolar Disorder Can Make Choices Feel Black or White
How I got off track and what helped me find my balance again. Man destroying his computer.Angelo Esslinger/Pixabay. Things were going well. I was publishing my newsletter almost every week. I was posting original stories on my blog and other sites several times a week. Every day, I posted fresh content on social media. Everything seemed to be okay.
Choose To See the Flower Not the Thorn
How changing one word improved my life. There’s a popular meme on social media that says that gratitude won’t fix your mental illness. It’s a true comment, but the meme makes many people think that gratitude is unimportant.
Scott Ninneman @ Speaking Bipolar
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Scott is a passionate advocate for mental health. He shares his own struggles of fighting bipolar disorder on his Speaking Bipolar blog while promoting positivity and understanding. Scott also publishes on Medium and Vocal.
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