I was sitting in my therapist's office, and I had a thought, I wonder how long it has been since I was last discharged from the hospital... I took a moment on my phone to figure it out and it has been 990 days since I walked out of the hospital transformed from a dangerously depressive person to someone who had tools, new medications, and supporting friends and family to be my healthiest self.
I suppose I should rewind back not just 990 days but one year and nine months before that when I had my manic episode. A Manic Episode is a symptom of Bipolar Disorder which suddenly and dramatically surfaced in myself. I couldn't stop rambling, I was writing everything down like my life depended on it, and I was losing track of time. Not only that but I was losing valuable sleep. So much sleep was lost that I started hallucinating and having severe Dejavu...
Eventually I got the help that I needed which started a 21+ month recovery period. It's amazing to think that a two week episode could lead to almost 2 years of intensive recovery being needed. That is one of the major reasons why I think that "Turn That Thing Around: A Manic Narrator's Longest Ride" is so important to get out there. If the episode could have been stopped closer to when it started the bottom of the rollercoaster would not have been so intense.
Now I realize that this is only one blog post and I couldn't possibly sum up my entire journey on this page, but it is important to start the dialogue.
In future posts I will go through that wild an crazy journey with more detail, but for now I want to take a moment and celebrate that I have been healthy and happy for 990 days.
If you would like to come celebrate 1000 healthy days with me, then check out www.facebook.com/TurnThatThingAround or the event page at https://www.facebook.com/events/349259255438216/
Thank you to every single person that helped me get to where I am today!
With Love,
Aaron Harris Woodstein