Hi @Delicatessen,

I just wanted to reach out and welcome you back to the forums it’s great to have you here 💜

I really love how you described yourself as ‘curious’ and ‘passionate’ and that you ‘love hearing others stories and points of view.’

One of the things that I really appreciate about our community is that it’s an incredibly diverse and vibrant space that’s full of wonderful people and lively conversations and as such, I have no doubt that you’ll find yourself in great company here 😊

Speaking of which, participating in some of our social threads can be a wonderful way to ease yourself into community life and connect with other members of our community 😊

As such, I’ve included the link to this particular thread below, just in case you would like to explore some of these opportunities further:

https://saneforums.org/t5/Social-Spaces/Looking-for-a-space-to-connect-with-others-Find-a-list-of/m-p/1151750

As I listened to this part of your story, I was really impressed to discover that you trekked many kilometres last weekend and as such, I just wondered what sort of treks do you enjoy?

Wow! Thirteen years sober - this is such an amazing achievement! Although I don’t have a lived experience in relation to alcohol dependence, I’ve invited a few wonderful members of our community @TheJuZShoW  @Ugly_Trout and @Rob-1969 to swing by, as they may be able to offer you some support in relation to some of your experiences. I’ve also invited one of our wonderful Peer Support Workers @Former-Member to drop by, as they may also be able to offer you some support 😊

Absolutely 💜 It can be incredibly difficult to separate the mental health conditions that we’re living with from who we are as people - especially when these parts of ourselves often overlap.

As such, I often find myself trying to re-establish and strengthen my boundaries so that I can draw a distinction between who I am as a person and the mental health conditions that I live with. Needless to say there are times when I feel incredibly frustrated in relation to how easily all of my different parts seem to blur together and sorting them out feels as though I’m completing a fifty thousand piece jigsaw puzzle!

As I listened to some of your experience in relation to this, I felt really curious when you shared ‘I’m doing everything I can to ensure it’s just one dimension of me and doesn’t define me’ and as such, I just ever so gently wondered if you would feel comfortable to share a little bit more around how you’ve been able to achieve this?

Although I don’t live with bipolar affective disorder, I can really appreciate how valuable it can be to talk with people who share similar experiences to our own. As such, I just wanted to share a few resources with you, in the hope that some of these may be helpful 😊

Earlier last year, one of our wonderful Community Elders (bipolarbunny) created a thread specifically in relation to bipolar disorder, which they aptly titled ‘Ask me almost anything about Bipolar.’

Unfortunately, bipolarbunny is currently on leave and so although I can’t introduce you, I thought that you may like to read other people’s stories as through doing so, you may find other members of our community who are experiencing similar challenges to your own 💜

As such, I’ve included the link to this particular thread below, just in case you would like to explore this further:

https://saneforums.org/t5/Looking-after-ourselves/Ask-Me-Almost-Anything-About-Bipolar/m-p/1059228

I also wondered if one of our special events known as Topic Tuesday may be of interest to you 😊

Basically, Topic Tuesday is a live online discussion that’s facilitated by a guest speaker who has expertise in the topic that’s being discussed.

Earlier last year, our Topic Tuesday focused on bipolar disorder and as such, the conversations were guided by a guest speaker from an organisation called Bipolar Australia.

During this time, our Community Manager and our guest speaker created a safe and respectful space whereby they gently invited members of the community to share their experiences.

Although this particular event was held in March last year, I just wondered if you may like to read through the conversations and the information provided by our guest speaker.

As such, I’ve included the link to this event below, just in case you would like to explore this further:

https://saneforums.org/t5/Special-Events/Topic-Tuesday-Let-s-Talk-About-Bipolar-Tues-23rd-March-7-00-8/m-p/1019495#M10638

Coincidentally, our Topic Tuesday earlier this week celebrated World Bipolar Day 😊 As such, our Community Manager, Peer Support Workers and two guest speakers from Bipolar Australia facilitated some wonderful conversations in relation to bipolar disorder.

I’ve included the link to this particular even below, just in case you would like to explore this further:

https://saneforums.org/t5/Special-Events/Topic-Tuesday-World-Bipolar-Day-with-Bipolar-Australia-Tues-29th/m-p/1154334

Also, just while I remember, one of the things that really helped me when I was new to the forums and still finding my way around, was that if you would like to chat with another forum member, or reply to one of their posts, place @ in front of their username just like I did at the start of my post to you i.e. @Delicatessen that way, they will receive a message that you have contacted them 😊

I hope this is helpful for you, but please reach back to me if I’ve missed the mark or if there’s anything else that I can support you with and I’ll do my very best to guide you in the right direction 💜

Take kind and gentle care of yourself,

ShiningStar 💜