Feeling So Overwhemed at times

Right now I have all my family here. My husband and all 3 kids. I feel so overwhelmed lately with school activities the girls have. The range in ages 12, 14, 17. They've had band concerts, dance performances, football games and they are at ages where they socialize so I am the one to take them places in the evenings. I don't always feel completely well. I could go on and on, to give more detail. But basically I just feel so overwhelmed and my bipolar just feels like I might lose my stability or maybe I already have. I have to take a sleeping pill to sleep so I don't get manic because of not sleeping. I still have to function. I guess I'm sharing because you all can understand how we feel at times when we get unstable and/or overwhelmed.

We had to put our dog down almost a month ago. I still get so emotional about that. It feels like since June of this year, my life doesn't slow down and I can't seem to stay afloat emotionally. I have been taking few breaks from moderating and making sure I sleep good, try my best to do less. But I am a mom and a mom's job is never done. I just feel like I wish my family could read my mind and help me deal with things more by not asking so much from me. I don't say no to their requests, but truthfully, I am getting so stressed out. Holidays are usually bad for me and it started out good, now I'm starting to feel a low mood.

Well, I just wanted to unload a bit. I've been going through a rough time lately.

I'm so sorry about your dog. I lost a couple cats, so I know how it feels to lose a beloved pet.

I am not married, and don't have kids, so I can't relate. But I do see my mom go through what you are going through right now. I'm sorry I don't really have much advice. I think maybe you should tell your family how you are feeling. You're right- they can't read your mind, so I think you owe it to yourself to let them know. I'm sure they would understand and cut you some slack.

Hi quietgirl,

I'm so sorry you've been feeling like you've been drowning recently. You do so well to cope with being a mom and all that entails, plus dealing with bipolar at the same time. I can only imagine how hard that must be... I'm single at the moment and don't have any kids either, but I can see from people around me how much work it is raising a family, even for those without an illness to contend with.

I can't add much to the excellent advice Jellybeanery gave, but I'd second confiding in your family about how you've been feeling. I'm sure they'd be supportive and help you out with whatever they can. I'm so sorry for the loss of your dog, too- I know how much they become part of the family.

Hugs and lots of love x

Hi QG, so sorry to hear you're not feeling well. I also think it's a good idea to open up and also ask for some help. When my ex's brother was dealing with cancer treatment it was obvious the rest of the family needed to help out with that family... taking the kids to their games etc. Dealing with bipolar requires extra support sometimes... for me it does. Big hugs if wanted.

Hi everyone. I had a Christmas party to attend last night with the hubby. Before I went there it was something I "had" to do instead of just being something fun to do. Today was busy cooking for all my family. We are all 5, including me. I cooked two meals and the rest of the time was cleaning, putting away some laundry and cooking again. Then also shopping with my oldest. It was like 3 hours at the mall. My feet hurt so much. It's been a little tough on me. I will talk to the therapist tomorrow and somehow find a way to let them all know I need some help to keep me feeling alright. Stable. My kids really aren't able to understand "stable" right now, but I will try to get the message across.

Thank you JB, Ennui, and Son. Thank you for your kind words of support. My good friend and I came to the conclusion that a lot of my episodes tend to be caused by so much stress in my life from everyday stress of being a mom and wife. That is basically my life. I don't work outside the home.

Thank you for the hugs--Ennui and Son I could really use them right now.

JB, our little 3 year old doggie had to be euthanized and it was just very sad. Whoever has lost a pet, I can understand how much it hurts to lose them. We lost ours about a month ago. We do still have our cat and I appreciate having him more now than before because of our loss.

I apologize at times I am not on here as much as I would like to be. I read every post but sometimes I am unable to reply, mostly because of not having enough time in the day. But believe me, I read all the posts posted on here. Hugs!

You don't need to apologize. Everyone goes through tough times, and when I feel like that I tend to stay away from the internet. Although it is not 3D socializing, it is still socializing, and that can be hard to do.

And again- I am sorry about your dog. I had a cat we had to put down because he somehow got paralyzed when he was outside. That was harder on me than my other cat dying of natural causes.

I do relate to housework though. Laundry and cleaning my room seem almost impossible sometimes. I can only imagine how hard these simple tasks can be when you have 3 children to take care of. I hope you are able to talk to your family about this, and I especially hope they understand. You could really use the help right now.

No advice but I'm going through the same thing. My kids are 5 and 8 and I am a chauffeur, I have little life of my own. I love it, but when I feel this down it is so hard to do the emotional labor to make sure they don't see my cracks. They don't understand and it's not fair for them.

Christmas is hard. The more happy things are supposed to be, the harder it is for me to fake.

My dog passed last November and he saw me through so many dark days. I have a new pup but he's too young still to be much comfort. I cry all the time for my boy.

I am thinking of you QG, I’m sorry you lost a pet. And with such a busy household...it must be so overwhelming and exhausting.

Sending positivity your way.

Thank you eterea. I appreciate your kind and uplifting words.

Hope you're doing better, QG. I know the holidays are a stressful time. They're over now, for the most part, so I hope things start to slow down for you soon. Sending huggies your way.