The Beautiful Side of Grief

Do you feel like very single day is a balancing act?

One moment you are okay, and then the next moment you are spiralling out of control. Your thoughts are all over the place. You feel that nobody will understand what you are going through. You feel isolated, alone on this journey, even if you are surrounded by family, workmates, friends, a room full of people. You live in fear that you are crazy. 

If you are feeling any of this, my guest, Steve Wilson's story of a life-long struggle with bipolar will provide you a lot of valuable information that will help you in your own journey from recognising the signs, dealing with professionals, medications, to finding community in support groups. There isn't much he hasn't experienced. He shares his story with openness, vulnerability and so much heart. A must-listen for anyone experiencing the grief surrounding mental illness.

Please note - this episode may be triggering if you have been on a similar journey yourself of sexual abuse and suicidal ideation. If this is you, please exercise discretion when listening and make sure you are well supported by family, friends, or professional services. Though, I have to also share that this is a life story that is so worth listening to. If you are not quite ready for this episode, you might want to check out his book “Teetering on a Tightrope, my bipolar journey” as a first step.

Whatever your journey, I wish you well????

Steve's Bio

From Delaware, Ohio, now reside in Scottsdale, Arizona. 74, married for 51 years, 3 daughters, 2 granddaughters. Retired from custom clothing business in 2019. Diagnosed with bipolar disorder in 1978. Wrote my memoir. “Teetering on a Tightrope, my bipolar journey” in 2022.

For the last seven years I have been the facilitator of two mental health support groups in Phoenix, Arizona. Through my own experiences and those of the numerous people I have worked with, I consider myself to be pretty damn knowledgeable on real life bipolar disorder. I reached out to ADAA because my research on who to contact showed that the organization is considered as one of the best.

Teetering is both a deeply personal memoir and a call to action, rallying the reader to dismantle the stigma surrounding mental illness and find the support they need to resurrect their lives.

Steve shares:

[00:02:55]  I've been married for 51 years. I've ...

[00:03:36]  What drives him to talk about bipolar

[00:08:34]  What triggered my bipolar

[00:09:39]  The day he decided to tell his psychiatrist

[00:11:09]  Why it took so long to tell his wife

[00:11:57]  What he has found working in support groups

[00:13:01]  Family issues & faking it all the time

[00:16:32]  Dealing with and overcoming suicide ideation

[00:18:57]  Missing all the signals

[00:21:23]  Discovering the depression was bipolar

[00:24:29]  Leni & discovering Lithium

[00:27:08]  Trust required in a specialist

[00:32:34]  The burden on youth

[00:36:15]  Recognising the mental health within his own childrne

[00:41:22]  Loss of his daughter

[00:44:01]  Key messages

[00:49:29]  The value of finding a support group

[00:50:37]  Round up questions

Quote:

"I was a jokester. I screwed around at school, and had what everybody thought was fun, but on the inside I was exploding." ~ Steve Wilson

Resources:

Steve's links:

Website:   https://authorstevewwilson.com

Facebook: https://facebook.com/stevewilson4990

IG:           https://instagram.com/stevewilson4990

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Email:          thebeautifulsideofgrief@gmail.com 

Instagram:  https://instagram.com/thebeautifulsideofgrief

Facebook:   https://facebook.com/thebeautifulsideofgrief

Website:     https://thebeautifulsideofgrief.com

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And heartfelt Thanks to Gabe Dovaston for the music