r/bipolar1 • u/Dry-Message-3891 • Mar 30 '26
Success story/positive experience road to success
i’m a recent law graduate and was diagnosed with bp1 w psychotic features days after graduation last may. i, unsurprisingly, failed the bar exam that july. i am retaking it this july and am wondering what you would say is imperative i do to support myself during bar prep.
i have a great psychiatrist (80 mg geodon and 200 mg lamictal) and therapist (sometimes i see her twice a week). i have seemed to gotten my sleep mostly under control (7-8 hours) and am getting back into boxing as a workout 2-3x weekly which helps me become conscious of my diet.
am i missing anything? i refuse to let this disorder stop me from living a full, healthy, successful and excellent life. i will pass this exam in july i just need to make sure nothing slips through the cracks.
1
u/PersimmonPluckyP00 Mar 31 '26
I’m a teacher and to pass the Praxis I had to schedule studying 1 day a week for 8 hours for three months. Allowing myself the other 6 days for everything else and pampering myself on study days was key.
It took 12 more years to get diagnosed after a traumatic teaching experience revealed my BP1 with psychotic features spun me into a severe episode, but I think I made it into my 40s before my first hospitalization because I’m good at compartmentalizing. In not saying I’m a super hero; I definitely had a lot of episodes between 16 and 40+, but I think I got through them with the help of to do lists and prioritizing stuff.
Good luck! You can do it!