Health
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2020, balancing good v. bad in the new year
As the new year opens, I struggle to balance immense optimism and gratitude with the horror taking place in the world.
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flipping the statistic
"Everything is still possible. You can have any kind of life you strive for. Bipolar disorder is a health condition that can be managed with medication and treatment. This is not the end. It is still the beginning of your story."
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When your boss has unrealistic expectations, but the boss is you.
In late July, I set a goal for myself that I would finish the remaining 6 chapters of my memoir manuscript in the month of August. Reason? I had put it off enough, I told myself. I started out with the goal of writing this book in late January, wanting to get a full manuscript done in 3 months so I can go back to working a normal job. I hadn’t imagined that my freelance writing would take off and find an audience. I didn’t expect to find myself with more projects than I can manage. I feel extremely grateful, more professionally fulfilled than ever before. But between the speaking…
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When Headlines Affect Mental Health
There was yet another shooting in America yesterday. https://www.cnn.com/2019/07/29/us/gilroy-california-food-festival-shooting-victims/index.html? This beautiful 6-year-old, Stephen Romero, was at the Gilroy Garlic Festival in California with his mom and grandma when he was killed by a random shooter. This photo could be of my little boy, who is nearly the same age. This is my worst fear about living in the US. When I worked at a large liberal corporation in a landmark building in the PNW, I lived in perpetual fear of a shooting at work. My child was attending daycare in that same building. Panicking any time there was an unexpected drill, I’d fly down 7 flights of stairs, heart pounding,…
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Social Media in a Time of Political Upheaval
My social media feeds have been all over the place lately. Normally a smattering of mental health-related posts, some good articles here and there, but mostly pictures of my kid or my dog — but now, during the border crisis, it all seems ill-fitting and jarring. The images of migrants seeking asylum locked in cages, caked in filth, haunts my mind constantly. As I live my charmed life in the beautiful Pacific Northwest, my guilt continues to grow. Why should I be able to carry on, while innocent children at our border suffer? This is a drop-everything-and-scream-for-action type of emergency, yet we carry on. All of us look away sometimes…
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“Coming Out”
On Wednesday, May 1, 2019, I “came out” to the world about my mental health. My story, “My Mental Illness Did Not Prevent Me From Suceeding, But The Stigma Nearly Did” was published on a major outlet. I had pitched my story in early February and was over the moon when the editor responded later that month. I had been eagerly anticipating its publication ever since. There would be no turning back after this “Coming Out.” Sure, I had already told my story to my own social circles, but this was a national, even international, stage. I set out to tell my story to make myself an example, an advocate.…
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guilt, shame, and stereotypes
“...you can't advocate for yourself if you won't admit what you are.” -Lindy West
- Bipolar, Career, Feminism, Happiness, Health, Parenthood, psychosis, Race and Culture, Uncategorized
My first podcast interview is live!
Listen here! How High Achievers Can Mask Mental Health Issues (s3e07) Michelle Yang was a very successful teenager on paper. Michelle was outgoing, earned excellent grades, and worked hard at her immigrant family’s small restaurant. Her constant battle with depression, anxiety and insomnia was less obvious to the world. The stigma against mental health conditions, especially within her family, prevented her from accessing proper help for years. Finally, while studying abroad during college, she suffered from a serious episode that led to her being diagnosed with bipolar disorder. Michelle now wants to break that stigma and encourage others by sharing her own story of how a successful career, a happy…
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Just say hi
Photo by Zac Durant on Unsplash I drove by a homeless man today sitting in front of a drug store entrance with a cardboard sign. When two people walked out, he smiled brightly and greeted them. They in return averted their eyes, pretended not to see him, and shuffled quickly away. What would it be like to have your presence invalidated all the time? For people to not see you? I live in a city where many complain of a “homeless problem.” “Some people just don’t want to be helped,” they say. I have heard kindhearted people dehumanize the homeless. Making jokes, even taking photos of them while they’re sleeping, without consent, and…
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12 things I do for everyday wellness
If there’s one thing I’ve learned over the years living with bipolar disorder, it’s that everyone’s different in how we struggle and cope. Every person responds to medications differently and can have greatly varied symptoms. As a peer living with bipolar disorder (I’m not a professional), here are some things that have helped me find everyday wellness: Seek treatment. See medical providers. Is it a psychiatrist for medication, therapist, or just a primary healthcare doctor? Often a team is needed, but however you feel supported, it is so important to seek ongoing care. I’ve learned this the hard way. If I neglect making appointments when I’m well and busy,…
