The courage to be different
“A resilient mindset develops by being ready for all outcomes — for or against you — and being ready to start over if that’s what it takes to win.”
— Alistair Gould
In this edition:
Design a meaningful life and make it your career
Education makes medication changes a little easier
You have more control over your mind than you think
IN MY WORDS
Pain to purpose: my career mix
In the last edition, I urged you to skip “career building” and live to solve a problem instead.
My life mission is to build things that eliminate human suffering stemming from my own experience living with chronic illness.
It’s been 28 years of fighting and falling on repeat but today I’m grateful for my entire journey.
Along the way I decided helping people is my idea of a lifelong “career”.
After taking medication for bipolar disorder, I realised patients struggled more than they needed to because of a severe lack of education by practitioners. I vowed to share my journey in a year.
I learned so much in my recovery so I chose to centre my undergraduate research on mental health communication trends.
I wrote a compelling project proposal to convince the Journalism faculty to let me blend psychology and communications — after the first proposal was rejected for falling more on the psychology end.
Based on my findings I launched psychoeducation platforms to fill the education gap. This got me a job in a therapy practice doing health education work then later a bipolar fundraiser with a public health expert I met at a job interview.
More importantly, by sharing my story I’ve walked with people through suicide ideation and depression showing them what’s possible with self-advocacy.
Blending purpose into existing professions takes a lot of testing and resilience. You need conviction in your ability to solve the problem and patience to only say yes to opportunities that nurture you for that work.
Be brave enough to spend your time doing things that improve the human condition.
STUDY WITH ME
Learning to believe again
Life is awash with challenges that threaten to tear us down and chronic illness can be a daily reminder of this. Even the smallest fight back is worth it and these resources encouraged me this week.
Listen: Keeping belief through failure
EXPLAINER
Navigating medication changes
This year, Lauren Kennedy West started the keto diet as treatment for her schizoaffective disorder. It resulted in reducing psychiatric medication until her final dose two months ago.
She’s been managing withdrawal symptoms like agitation with exercise (running, cycling, strength training) and diet while monitoring symptoms.
Syndrome versus symptoms
The withdrawal phase can mirror psychiatric symptoms e.g. anxiety, psychosis and worsening depression.
How so?
The medications target the same neurotransmitters that support a healthy mind so sudden lower amounts can trigger physical reactions. However, it may be a passing phase and not purely your condition flaring up.
This awareness can make a difference in your ability to manage your mood. It was a game-changer for me.
I too went through withdrawal after getting off an antidepressant back in 2020. I experienced vertigo, nausea and diarrhoea and was disappointed in my psychiatrist for not adequately preparing me.
I looked up “venlafaxine withdrawal” and since I’d been tracking my symptoms I was confident it wasn't related to bipolar symptoms as she’d tried to suggest.
Research and self-advocacy
Whenever you’re getting off any psychiatric medication, always ask your psychiatrist, “What side effects may I experience and what’s the plan?” Telling you nothing will happen isn’t a sufficient response and you can seek a different opinion if needed.
I also highly recommend checking out other people’s experiences using venlafaxine/other psychiatric medications on the Drugs site.
Yes, bodies are different so experiences with medication vary but the idea is to learn from people with actual diagnoses.
Look at health management as a lifelong pursuit. The most important work will be studying your body’s reactions and response to coping tools i.e. medication, routine and activities.
TRIAGE
The power of the mind
“Neuroplasticity is not just about recovering from brain injuries. It’s about shaping your mind to adapt and thrive in the face of life’s challenges.’ - Dr. Tracey Marks
When something is good for me in the long term, I often trick my brain in the short term. In the next edition, I’ll share why I went from no training to five sessions a week as my antidepressant kicked in (6 weeks later).
Meanwhile, understand what exactly neuroplasticity is;
The brain structures involved
Four areas it impacts
Lifestyle habits that enhance it
When you’ve managed debilitating symptoms over many years, self-pity becomes a familiar opponent. Over time, choosing strong in the face of my pain has been an opportunity to help many others.
I’ve gone on to accomplish many epic things because I believe I am built for this, I can handle it.
WN
Thank you for this piece @wairimu ,
when coming of the medication did you taper it off , meaning progressively lowering the dose of the medication until you do away with it