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Work and Bipolar or Depression

Did you know that the average American adult spends one-quarter of their life at work?1 With all the time we spend working, it's critical that we each take the time to set our career goals and make thoughtful decisions about what we want out of our working lives. No one wants to be stuck at a dead-end job, and life really is too short to spend years plodding along on an unfulfilling career path.
Capitalism and "hustle culture" (the culture where one feels the need to be working constantly) have turned us into a strange species. Even in the middle of a pandemic, we are putting immense pressure on ourselves, in spite of depression, to hustle and be productive. While I don't think hustling was ever a good idea, I believe it is far worse in today's stressful times. 
There is a common perception that the hypomanic phase of bipolar disorder type II does not impede one's ability to work, unlike the full-blown manic episodes that come with bipolar disorder type I. I believe that this is misleading. While it is true that hypomania is less severe than mania, the symptoms -- elevated mood, inflated optimism, distractibility, increased goal-oriented activity, racing thoughts, and impulsivity -- are the same. Hypomania may not have sent me to the hospital, but before I began treatment, hypomania made it almost impossible for me to work.
Do you know what learned helplessness is? Well, have you ever felt that no matter how hard you try to achieve a goal, the outcome is totally out of your hands because, in the past, your efforts to do the same proved to be futile? Does this feeling make you feel stuck and powerless, and does it cause you to stop trying in the first place? If your answer is yes, you probably have a case of learned helplessness.
When I was diagnosed with bipolar disorder, one of my biggest work confidence fears was that I would never achieve my career goals. I had graduated from college exactly two years before, and although I had excelled academically, I had a very difficult time finding and keeping work in the post-graduate world: I struggled to stay on task and complete projects by the deadline, and I could not make it through a single team meeting without fidgeting.
Looking for a job has never been easy, and job search depression is on the rise. Owing to the COVID-19 pandemic, it has now become all the more difficult to secure a stable job. As a freelance writer, uncertainty is something I am used to, even if it is on a smaller scale. Here are some of my tried and tested tips on how to handle the intense emotional rollercoaster known as the job hunt.
What time management tips might help someone with bipolar disorder work from home more efficiently? Read on for four great hints on being more productive while working from home with bipolar disorder.
Since last month, many of us have been working remotely from home due to the COVID-19 pandemic. While this has proven that many jobs can be done remotely, there's one major mental health issue that office-goers are facing today: depression.
I’m Nori Rose Hubert, and I’m so excited to contribute to the "Work and Bipolar or Depression" blog at HealthyPlace. I was diagnosed with bipolar disorder type II in May 2019 at age 26, after a lifetime of struggling with my mental health. Although our culture’s attitude towards mental illness is slowly changing for the better, mood disorders such as bipolar disorder remain highly stigmatized. I write about bipolar because I want others living with this disease to know they are not alone and that mental illness recovery is possible.
Coronavirus isolation is new, but here's the thing: coronavirus has made our planet its home for a while now. Although it showed up in December 2019, it is only in the month of March that we have decided to take it seriously. To contain the virus, many countries have prohibited people from leaving their homes and asked them to practice social distancing instead. This has naturally taken on a toll on the mental health of extroverts and ambiverts. And over time, it will affect introverts too (if it hasn't already). I speak from experience because I am an introvert whose depression has already worsened due to coronavirus isolation. Let me elaborate.