I have the hardest time getting down to business-what I mean by this is concentrating for sustained periods. Either I'm chained to the computer writing like mad &, working or I'm running all over the place avoiding the work I know I must do. Time management? Not my strong point! Multi-tasking, that means nothing gets done right in my case. ...I have to write a resume and I can't think of one good thing to say about myself!

In my case, bp got me fired from my jobs and now I've declared disabled and on Social Security.

I'm very disorganized. I have taught English since I moved here to Italy and it's been hard because I don't really do well with people, have social phobia and just overall am not a good teacher.

They seem to think that if you are mother tongue in a language you can teach it, but it's not so.

Teaching is HARD work that requires a lot of time and dedication.
It also requires organization to the max.

Unfortunately it is what I started with when I got here and my Italian wasn't so great and I just stuck with it.

I took a break a couple years ago because the stress was too much to handle but I think I need to go back.

I looked for different types of jobs in the meantime but there is no such thing as being politically correct here.

Job ads state that they want max 35 years and you need to send a photo with any application. So, being 38 and ugly, I can't find a job. When I advertized to go private with the teaching I got calls from MEN who wanted to know what I look like before they even asked about how much the lessons cost.

Anyway, here it's really hard and I think having BP makes it harder.

Oh sorry, how do I cope?

Well, I tell those who want to know what I look like to kiss my fat ass.

I'd rather starve than teach English to some poor fool whose priority is having some eye candy.

I don't think it's BP per se that makes it hard for me to work- but it's all the meds I'm on makes it very difficult for me to focus, and, when I am able to focus, it is SO HARD to work (I am a phd student- so my job is writing & research). Every single word feels like a monster accomplishment.

So one thing I've been lately which has been helping is setting up goals here on DS- journaling about it (ie: I wrote 3 pages today!)- and giving myself "rewards" for finishing small projects (like, "when I finish this paper, I will work in my garden.) I also have a friend here on DS, who, every page I write,I send him a hug. We give each other encouragement- so he cheers me on with my writing, and I cheer him on with his.

This "buddy" system has really helped me.

I do okay at work, better than I do when I am not working. The structure and the routine keep me feeling better. The only problem I have is when things go wrong, my anxiety goes way up. I think my tolerence for mistakes and for having to learn new things is low, but I muddle through one way or another. Just do a lot of deep breathing...

I don't work I can't cope with people and I have a bad back so I cant really find a job with no public interaction

Being a BP has seemed to affect my work in the sense that I just don't enjoy it. Maybe it's the job itself. I work in my uncle's grocery store, and I cut meat, stock shelves, and also act as cashier. However, I've found it quite difficult to stay interested in one field anyway. When I graduated from college, I was and Information Technology Technician, then I quit that job, to pursue a degree in Nutrition, and then I quit pursing that, and that's when I had a crisis. It seems as if my quest for the perfect job and perfect life created a lot of stress and maybe triggered my bipolar. I know I'm kind of off subject, but I hope this helps someone.

I had to leave emergency work because it kept throwing me into mania. But even a job sterilizing surgical instruments and trying to do medical records work kept me from being stable. I got to where I had a hard time relating to people and I'd get fired. I am on disability now but work two days a week as a Caregiver.

Well, yeah. I reached a point where I could no longer over compensate for it.