2.08 Anastasia Mclean - Diagnosed with Bipolar II in 2015 when she was 20 years old after seeing psychiatrists since the age of 9, also lives with Narcolepsy and PTSD.

Anastasia was seeing psychiatrists since the age of 9 so her journey has been a long one and coming to terms with her diagnosis was hard as all she had heard was fear and stigma around the diagnosis. After some research the diagnosis brought relief and made things make sense. We talk a lot about lost years and the how on reflection we can realise that there have been losses and it’s ok to grieve those losses. Being gentle with the younger versions of ourselves and offering compassion to these past versions of ourselves allows us to be proud of how hard they were working for us at the time and how they were doing their very best. We also talk about therapy and the importance of breaks and allowing the work to integrate along with the benefits and energy required for dedicated trauma therapies like EMDR therapy. We also talk about the changes and the adjustments we need to make in our lives to stay well and stable living with Bipolar, Anastasia shares some of the ways she looks after herself to live well with Bipolar. Please find support and resources on our website www.bipolaruk.org Insta: @bipolar_uk Twitter: bipolaruk Facebook: bipolaruk Find Anastasia: Instagram: @thebipolardiaries_ Facebook: The BP Diaries Blog: https://thebpdiaries.com/ Podcast: The Bipolar Diaries Hosted by Emma Belle: Insta: @emmakbelle Facebook: bellekemma www.emmakbelle.com