What it's like living with Bipolar Disorder with Mackenzie Stewart from Life At 23k

This episode is all about Mackenzie and her experience with Bipolar. 

Right before Mackenzie received her diagnosis, she was working at a doggy daycare, which “for a lot of people, they’re like “it’s a dream job.” It’s so amazing, and actually very stressful. I loved it.”

Then one day she was, “terrified to walk in the door and I would leave work and I would seriously like sit in my car in the parking lot.

No, like I would just sit there totally catatonic like I could just not have any stimulus. And eventually that started bleeding into home life.

Like it wasn't just at work. It was I was having panic attacks at home, I was having panic attacks when I was driving my like reactions to you know, plans changing and stuff was just escalating.

Eventually I impulsively quit that job over an email and just like didn't show up because I was like I can't I cannot handle this I can't do it. And and after that I was like this is not like me like that.

I don't know if it was the actual job that triggered it or if it just happened that that was the time that like those things were going to present themselves but it was definitely like a five to six month period where it just escalated and then I was like yeah, we're we're going to talk to somebody because I can't can't function like this.” 

In the bipolar episode released previously, we talk about functional impairment and the disabling effects of bipolar disorder. Listen to Mackenzie's story and don't forget to check out the bipolar episode for more details and stories from other women.