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Speaking Bipolar's All Things Bipolar

Scott Ninneman

Hi! I'm Scott. Diagnosed with bipolar disorder in 1995, I've been fighting this battle for nearly three decades. I know you can live a full, happy life with mental illness, and I want to help you get there. Each newsletter includes tips for living your best life while teaching the truth about bipolar disorder. Join our family today!

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Featured Post

Binge Eating, Bipolar Disorder, and Finding Help

Sometimes all you need is a kind gesture to turn your day around. For me this week, that kindness came as a carrot cake prepared by my boss’s wife. Now this was no ordinary carrot cake. This was a magical carrot cake. Every bite triggered fireworks and bliss on an otherworldly level. It’s undeniably the best cake I’ve ever had. The flavors were so wonderful that for a few minutes I forgot how little sleep I’ve been getting. I closed my eyes, and the sweet goodness pushed the 50 tax files on...

11 days ago • 8 min read

This week was hard. March 15th is the second biggest due date during tax season, when partnership and S-corporation returns are due. As I fight to get as many returns finished as possible before the deadline, there’s little energy or time left for anything else. I know the worst is over in 36 days, so if I can just keep going, it will end soon. My body is fighting against me. The exhaustion is triggering FMF attacks TK, and my allergies are making sleep even more elusive than usual. I’m not...

about 1 month ago • 4 min read

Note: This newsletter is a few hours late. After work last night, I was too tired to edit and publish. Thanks for your patience! This week, I had 11 meetings with tax clients, 3 appointments with doctors, 2 training webinars, and a partridge in a pear tree. Oh, wait, the last one might be part of something else. My eyes are blood red, my head stuffed with wool, and I’m stumbling around like the guy in those old Dunkin Donut commercials mumbling, “It’s time to make the donuts.” Living with...

about 2 months ago • 8 min read

This week brought a whirlwind of emotions. Monday, our community rallied together over the tragic death of a local 14-year-old. It was suicide, and even though I didn’t know the boy, the news sent me into a dark depression cycle. Then Thursday came, and I received exciting news from Medium. The company invited me to take part in one of their beta programs, an opportunity I’ve been dreaming of for months. Then came the guilt. I felt guilty for celebrating my good news in the wake of a tragedy....

about 2 months ago • 10 min read

I picked change as my word for 2024, and I’m doing everything I can to make it happen. I’m using the 30-Day Life Tune Up Challenge as my guide, but I’m using it a little differently than I originally planned. Rather than pick one area and focus on it for 30 days straight, I’m giving myself permission to take breaks. While I still do each day’s activity in order, I’ll put it off for a day if I don’t feel up to it. For the past few years, I’ve been using Duolingo to learn Spanish. One thing I...

2 months ago • 10 min read

I’m not a fan of most self-help books. While I’ve started dozens over the years, I’ve only ever finished a handful. It’s no wonder self-help books are so popular, because who of us doesn’t want to improve? In fact, that’s probably why you’re even here. Note: All book links in this newsletter are affiliate links. Where most self-help books fail is in recycling the same old things in the same old ways. Yawn, I’m bored. Even though I paid 20-bucks for the book, I’m not getting past chapter 3....

2 months ago • 8 min read

Anger is a constant companion with bipolar disorder. Even on the happiest of days, bipolar anger is only a tiny trigger away. And with any angry outburst comes guilt, self-hate, and a desire for self-destruction. Anger has been front and center this week. While I try to maintain my cool, sometimes the monster breaks free. The angry beast shows up even more often when I’m under great stress. I loved being home for a week when snow and ice kept me prisoner, but it had a price. The tradeoff was...

3 months ago • 9 min read

Sometimes I forget why I started this whole online writing gig. My head fills with thoughts of living barefoot on a beach as I dream of my words earning me a full-time income. While the beach dream would be wonderful, it’s not why I’m here. It’s not why you’re here. I published my first post on Speaking Bipolar on February 26, 2018. And it wasn’t even about bipolar. My goal was to put positive words out into the world and help at least one person. I wanted to give people hope, understanding,...

3 months ago • 8 min read
Illustration of people walking in a city park in winter

To jump or not to jump. That is the question. There’s a huge difference between knowing what you should do and actually doing it. I believe in following my gut instinct because it’s rarely wrong. Where I get messed up is when my head fights with my inner warnings. Relationships are one of my greatest downfalls. I’ve dated too many people simply because they were interested in me. Every time I went against my gut, the relationship blew up like a bottle rocket on the 4th of July. Often, your...

3 months ago • 6 min read
Two sad young men.

Welcome to 2024! Every time I write those numbers, it feels wrong. As a child of the 1980s, I grew up singing Prince’s 1999 (released October 27, 1982). As a teen, it felt like 1999 would never come. Now, it’s 25 years in the past. Time passes quickly, and that’s especially true as you get older. I swear, with every blink, an entire month disappears. My parents celebrated their 53rd wedding anniversary in December. “Celebrate” may be an exaggeration, as all I did was pick up take out from...

3 months ago • 12 min read
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