There’s Nothing Funny About Being Bipolar Guest Post from Author Rebecca Lombardo

There’s Nothing Funny About Being Bipolar

When I have to look at a person and say, “I’m bipolar,” they get a bemused expression on their face as if they’re waiting for the punchline.  That’s all there is to it, and believe me, this is not a joke my friend.   

I can’t think of many more things as infuriating as someone using a mental illness as an insult.  You’re going to hear, “Oh my God! Don’t be so bipolar!” much more than you’re going to get, “Wow, do you have to act so diabetic all the time?” 

The truth is that there are many people that are bipolar and have done horrible things.  Things like theft, murder, even rape.  That does not mean that all of us are capable of such unspeakable acts.  Hollywood doesn’t help matters at all.  Have you ever been using one of the movie streaming services and caught a glimpse of a film that might be interesting?  Sure, many people have.  How many times have you clicked on the description of that film and discovered that the lead in the story is a horribly insane person, and you guessed it…bipolar. 

What is the real difference here?  Bipolar disorder is a disease of the mind; it manifests itself in physical ways all the time.  Just ask anyone who deals with it. Conditions like Fibromyalgia, Cancer, and AIDS begin as physical conditions and can eventually have a negative impact on your mind.  I know I’m walking a fine line here.  I would never tell a Cancer patient that their disease isn’t as debilitating as mine.  I’m just trying to say that it deserves the same amount of patience, acceptance, and respect. 

We hear a lot about stigma these days.  If you try hard enough, you can stigmatize any disease or disorder.  Is social media helping us or hurting us?  I honestly can’t decide.  For example, many, many people commented on the death of Robin Williams.  A lot of the comments were centered around how badly people felt that he was in that kind of pain, and their hearts went out to his family.  Conversely,  the number of comments that described him as a psychotic freak that only cared about himself was staggering.  Some people even went so far to go after his daughter in probably the most painful time of her entire life. 

There are positives to using social media.  I’ve experienced that myself.  I’ve had people from all over the world approach me to talk about my story, or to ask my opinion of their situation.  I’ve yet to come across someone that downright insults me, and I hope that I never do.  I’m not one to hold my tongue on something like that.  I do know that people have quietly unfollowed or unfriended me since I told my story.  Whether they did it because of my disease, I may never know.  The fact of the matter is if they want to walk away from me because I’ve said something that offended them, I completely understand that.  However, to take a hike because I have a disease that I cannot control?  That’s simply ridiculous. 

I get it.  There are people out there that use mental illness as a way to garner attention or special treatment.  To those people, I say shame on you.  Unfortunately, that kind of behavior has been around forever.  I watched a documentary on a woman who fooled an entire community into believing she was a survivor of the towers falling on 9/11.  People like that are sick, but not in the way they want you to believe.

In her first published work, Rebecca Lombardo collects her internationally followed blog into the pages of It’s Not Your Journey. Rebecca shares her struggles with bipolar disorder, depression, anxiety, self-injury, and recovery from a suicide attempt.

Rebecca candidly reveals her real and raw feelings on these subjects, as well as addressing other issues that have contributed to her downward spiral and eventual climb out of her own pit of despair. Issues such as the loss
of her mother to lung cancer, the death of her brother, abandonment from friends and family members due to her hospitalization, and more.
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I’m 43 years old and have been happily married for nearly 15 years. I enjoy
reading, writing, music, watching movies and sports. I live in Michigan with my husband and our cats. At age 19, I was diagnosed with bipolar disorder. I have struggled with mental illness in many forms for more than 20
years. I’m a published author, bipolar blogger, and a mental health advocate. In addition, I am about to become a contributor for the Huffington Post.

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It Feels Like Cheating! Guest Post from Author of Goodnight Kisses Wilhelmina Stolen

Download this book for FREE! It is free everywhere but Amazon right now but if you read kindle you can get it on Smashwords and send to your kindle as a document to read.

It Feels Like Cheating!

Say it isn’t so! Oh, but it is! I’m guilty! I have a thing for my hero’s younger brother! But honestly, in my defense, the love affair started out so innocently!

My creativity flows better late at night, when the house is quiet, the lights are low and I’m alone. It’s the perfect atmosphere for whipping up hot love scenes, but that wasn’t what this particular night was supposed to be about. I had a rough outline for Goodnight Kisses with a general idea of who my main characters were and what I wanted their love story to be. Knowing their personalities would evolve as the rough draft was written, I turned my attention to the secondary characters. These supporters usually show up as they’re needed and like the main characters, grow with the story. But this wasn’t the case with Jess Coldiron. Nope. This cowboy refused to wait.

When it comes to the men in my stories, the physical description usually comes first (because I like eating my cake before the main course). In the beginning, Jess was like any other character, an idea, a shadow or glimpse of who I wanted him to be. But that changed too. Sandy-blond hair, a little long. A rugged jaw (with just enough stubble to tickle). A straight nose. Blue eyes. Full bottom lip (perfect for nibbling). A Charlie Hunnam smile that made me want to lose my underwear. Broad shoulders. Strong hips. Long legs…

But looks aren’t everything. Jess needed to be a guy with heart. A man of substance and conscious. Caring with a playful side. I wanted him to be intelligent and humorous with just the right amount of charisma and he needed a voice, a sexy voice. Yeah, something slow and easy with a slight Texas drawl to it. A cross between Jensen Ackles and Matthew McConaughey. Oh, baby! I have to admit, at this point I was a little excited. Maybe too excited for a secondary character, but I didn’t care. I wanted more. So, I kicked off my shoes, poured myself another glass of wine and said, “Okay, handsome, talk to me.”

His first words were, “This night just keeps getting better.” I’ll say! He was so charming and irresistible. He spewed out lines and prompted scenes. Hours passed and before I knew it, I was in love with the easygoing and flirtatious younger brother of my main character. The sidekick, the brother my heroine always wanted. How did that happen?

Falling in love with the hot guy playing second fiddle to my leading man is nothing new for me and sometimes it does feel like cheating. But when a character is vivid and clear, it’s hard not to be captivated by them. Thankfully, my heroes never hold it against me.

Fearing she carries her mother’s curse of marriage, nineteen-year-old Eleanor Mackenna swore never to vow herself into matrimonial bondage. Nuptials aren’t needed where true love is concerned. A concept she is sure a man like McCrea Coldiron would agree with. The town gossip has him pegged as a heart breaker, but Eleanor knows a different side to McCrea. And years of loving him without seeing his affection returned has made her desperate enough to ask him for advice on seducing a man. ??

McCrea isn’t proud of his reputation as a brawler and a womanizer. As a teenager the rumors were funny, now they may cost him the land he has worked so hard for. Chatty little Eleanor Mackenna has been chasing his spurs for years and ignoring her was easy to do until she grew up. A beautiful face and curves in all the right places made her hard to resist, and when his granddad lays down an ultimatum to make her his wife, McCrea
offers her a first class lesson in seduction.?

Their date ending in more than good night kisses was everything McCrea promised it would be, but his sudden withdraw, and cold reaction to her confession of love reveal his true motives. A business arrangement with
benefits.

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I’m a country girl, born in Tennessee and raised in Kentucky. I’m a roamer, but always come home because I love the small town atmosphere. It’s who I am. Life in my little corner of the world consists of long winter nights curled up by the fire, cheering on my favorite football teams in the fall, enduring March Madness in the spring and walking barefoot through my garden with a cold jar of sweet tea in the summer – fireflies at sunset accompanied by a serenade of crickets and frogs, and lazy summer nights in the porch swing with my beau.

When I’m not writing, I’m traveling, reading or finding a million other ways to express my creativity. My tastes in music range from classical to rock. I’m passionate about history, art and helping others find the courage to express themselves.

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