Being bipolar isn't abnormal—it's simply part of the beautiful complexity of the human mind. Today, I want to break the stereotypes and normalise this conversation we desperately need to have.
The most powerful thing you can offer someone with bipolar disorder is your unwavering presence and acceptance. Just being there, standing beside them through both the highs and lows, provides immeasurable strength and courage.
For years, Kavita watched his son struggle without truly understanding what was happening. She saw him labelled as "lazy" when teachers found him sleeping during classes. She witnessed the confusion on his face when his energy and productivity would fluctuate unpredictably. And most painfully, she was the mother who didn't recognise what bipolar disorder meant in his daily life.
The hardest truth she had to face was that while she was trying to "fix" the situation, her son was fighting battles on multiple fronts—with his mind that sometimes felt foreign to him, and with a society that rarely makes space for different ways of experiencing the world.
When someone already carries such a heavy internal burden, why do we insist on adding the weight of judgment, misunderstanding, and isolation? The person before you isn't their diagnosis—they're a complete human being navigating life with an additional challenge that most of us will never fully comprehend.
Her journey as a mother has transformed from confusion to understanding, from frustration to compassion. She has learned that sometimes the most healing thing isn't having all the answers, but simply saying, "I don't fully understand what you're going through, but I'm here, I'm listening, and I'm not going anywhere."
If you know someone with bipolar disorder, be that safe harbour in their storm. Your presence matters more than your solutions. Your acceptance speaks louder than your advice.
And if you're living with bipolar disorder yourself, please know that you deserve understanding, not judgment, a simple hug. Your experience is valid. Your struggles don't define you, but they are part of what makes you uniquely you, and there's nothing abnormal about that at all.
Let's build a world where mental health differences aren't just tolerated but embraced as part of our collective humanity. The conversation starts here, with each of us choosing empathy over ignorance, connection over avoidance.
Because at the end of the day, we're all just trying to understand the complex landscapes of our minds. Some paths are more winding than others.
