Lived Experience Forum

[Veevee72]

I have bipolar disorder and I have no idea how to help myself. I can’t afford therapy and I am not applicable for any sort of government subsidies as I just arrived in the country a week ago. Even if it was discounted I still cant afford it. I’m now stuck trying to help myself, desperately googling free alternatives which landed me on this website. I’m slowly destroying all the connections I have with the people in my life, I don’t mean to lose my temper and say the hurtful things I say but the damage is done. I don’t want to be this version of myself anymore. I’m wondering if anyone else struggles with terrible bipolar anger outbursts and how they managed to find their zen. I’ve heard other people relieve their anger by working out or meditating, but personally that just holds my anger off temporarily and then I end up lashing out later in the day 🤷🏻

[tyme]

Hey @Veevee72 ,

I'm sorry to hear that you are not able to get the support you need at the moment. We are glad you have reached out to us. 

It must be difficult arriving in a new country and needing so desperately to get support yet you cannot get it.

Would you be interested in getting some 1:1 support through SANE over the course of about 14 weeks? We have a Guided Service whereby you can refer yourself. This is free of charge. This is the link so you can read a little more about it: https://www.sane.org/referral#registering-myself This support provides either counselling or peer support. However, it does not replace medical interventions.

If you feel like speaking to one of your awesome counsellors, you are free to contact 1800 187 263 Mon-Fri 10am-8pm AEDT. There may be a bit of a call wait, but counsellors WILL get to you.

In the meantime, we'd love to hear more about you. When you were in another country, did you get any mental supports?

[Jasper_123]

Hi @Veevee72 , 

I'm so sorry you can't currently afford therapy - At this time is unfortunately feels like a luxury even to myself who works and was born in the country. 

I do not have Bi-polar but I do have Borderline which is known for it's rage episodes. Have you tried working out consistently for your anger? I find the best thing for me is to remove myself from the situation which is causing my anger to rise and then writing about it in a journal (be as angry and hurtful as you want in writing) a step above this is to then burn the writing to let it go. 

From what I've seen SANE is a good outlet to this, there's also LifeLine which you can call. 

[Acanthiza]

Hey @Veevee72 I have bipolar 2 and have struggled with anger before (still do I suppose)
I don't think I have ever got good advice from a psychologist about it. In fact I remember them kind of brushing me off and giving the kind of "count to ten" advice.

I don't have much to offer, nowadays I try to ground myself when angry. Take your pick of mindfulness stuff for that. The most important thing for me is to try and put things in context, to think about what I am so angry about and what the real effects would be if I let it go.

Actually now that I try writing it out it really is hard to explain exactly how I deal with anger. I hope you can find a way to deal with these emotions, I know it is not easy in the slightest. Hopefully the forums and maybe some of the sane support stuff can help.