She’s back, and alive!
If you were wondering where I was and missed me, then you are the sweetest ever! :) I received a formspring from a dear reader asking how I was and it reminded me of how much I miss the blogging world. (and the friends I’ve made in the short time of having a blog) This is the longest I’ve been away from writing and honestly I’ve missed it like crazy!
There are many reasons as to why I was on hiatus… but before I get into them I just wanted to say that I’m back and will be posting regularly now. Yay! :) Anyways, the main reason was my lack of creativity. I caught a cold and was sick for 3 weeks, which triggered my depression = no creativity juices flowing! Pretty sad! I’m still trying to get back to normal (“being me”) and I decided that to help I would be more open on here about my disorder… I was diagnosed last year with bipolar disorder (manic depression) So my moods are often up and down and I go through different stages. When I’m feeling down I tend to isolate myself from people and turn into a hermit – I sleep in late, either go through a reading (or movie) spree, my appetite increases,etc. Sometimes this lasts only a few days, and other times a few weeks or even a month. When I’m in my manic stage (which has only ever happened once, thankfully!) I add a ton of projects to my plate, and try finishing them all at once. My self-esteem is through the roof, I hardly sleep because in my mindset there isn’t a need to. Artistically my style changes too. I’m more abstract and experimental when manic. I ruined a good wallet by painting it with nail polish, boo! In short, I feel like I can do anything…infinity and beyond! This lead to my being hospitalized and started on medication around this time last year. And that’s a whole other post in itself!
Sorry for the long post! I just wanted to get this all out there, and hopefully I haven’t scared any of you away.. I thought it would be a great way to connect more, everyone has something they’re going through and sometimes it can help to know someone else is going through something or the same thing! Send me an email if you ever need to talk about anything – I’m a great listener or reader (however you look at it..hah.) :) Keep smiling!
nataliebrooke.wordpress.com 
It’s great to have you back! be strong, we all endure bad moments in life! :)
Thanks Irene! That’s so true – everything just makes us stronger. :)
I’ve been going through the same thing all my life. I didn’t recognize anything was off until a decade ago, but I hadn’t talked to a doctor about it until a year ago. it was such a relief to start talking about it instead of worrying about what was up with my moods, thoughts and behaviors,and how other people would respond to me. it’s really great to be yourself (even the wound up or sad self) rather than hide behind a happy facade all of the time. It’s also good to get away from things (like blogging) when you don’t feel up to it. I’m happy you’re writing again, though. I don’t even know howmany times I’ve come to check for a new post since Christmas lol : )
Yeah it’s tough isn’t it? I’ve found that talking definitely helps, whether it’s friends, doctors, counsellors, etc. I’m learning to not hide behind a smile anymore too, and be more open about things. I tend to be extreamly creative when I’m wound up and have absolutey no creativeness when I’m down…but I’m getting back into the swing of things. (have a few projects on my mind) Awwe thanks!! That means so much! I check your blog often too, you inspired me to make one after all. hah. <3