By Stephen Propst
Despite the weight of having bipolar disorder, love and support can lift your spirits.
About the time most people learn to drive, I was learning to fly. I flew solo at 16 years old and received my private pilot’s license a year later. Flying the friendly skies calmed my mind and held my attention. Unfortunately, since being diagnosed with bipolar, I’ve been grounded. (Maybe one day I can get a medical waiver from the FAA and fly again.) Meanwhile, I have fond memories of the fun and freedom of flight.
Now, what does manning an airplane have to do with managing bipolar? Well, pilots are just “plane” people with a special “air” about them. And, those of us living with bipolar are just normal people with unique challenges surrounding us. When a plane moves through the air, four forces come into play: weight, lift, drag, and thrust. Interestingly, those same factors apply to successfully battling bipolar. Understanding these forces helps ensure both a smooth flight and a sound recovery.
Weight
I’ve never been able to fully grasp how something as heavy as a plane can overcome its weight and stay airborne. But I didn’t let that stop me from learning to fly. I once thought having bipolar was too “weighty” an issue to bear, mistakenly thinking that I couldn’t possibly overcome the “gravity” of the illness. I had turned my back on turning my life around. Eventually, I stopped reducing myself to my diagnosis and started seeing myself as a person who could successfully manage the illness, not succumb to it.
Lift
Simply put, lift is the force, generated primarily by the wings, that opposes weight and holds a plane in the air. Without lift, a plane stalls, and without support, so does recovery. Family and friends can help provide much-needed support to “lift” your spirits and lighten your load. My loved ones have been the wind beneath my wings, helping me stay on course and avoid crashing. (By the way, I thank my father for suggesting that I “air” this topic.)
Drag
The resistance the atmosphere exerts against the motion of an aircraft is called drag. Bipolar, with its devastating depressions and harrowing highs, can have you feeling like the whole world is working against you and that your life is spinning out of control. While dealing with bipolar can drain your energy, divert your intentions, and dash your hopes, fortunately there’s another force to help counteract the effect.
Thrust
When it comes to airplanes, engines provide the push needed to overcome drag. With bipolar, many factors create the driving force to move forward. You empower your body, your mind, and your soul when you partner with a psychiatrist to help manage your medication (if prescribed) and mindset; a therapist to help further change your mental outlook; and peer groups for mutual support. Because I had tons of “extra baggage,” pursuing these three partnerships was especially important. I had to tackle my recovery physically and mentally, from head to heart.
Flying requires a comprehensive approach, from filing a flight plan, to communicating with the tower, to navigating around bad weather. Recovery does too, from developing a wellness plan, to talking with your doctor, to steering around life’s storms. If you pilot a plane, you’re in command. Likewise, if you live with bipolar, you must take charge and not leave recovery “up in the air.”
Are you ready to get on board with these concepts and change course for the better? You’ve been cleared for taking your recovery off in a new direction. Despite the weight of having a mood disorder, love and support can lift your spirits. And, despite the drag of the disease, you can find the needed thrust to forge ahead to a fulfilling life. The sky’s the limit!
Used by permission.