Welcome to our site!
How did this website start? And more importantly does it have relevance to you - and if so what?
I want to kick off with my personal journey which will explain a lot about why this website and my first on in about 2005 began. (SEE RIGHT FOR A RECENT PODCAST OF MY STORY") Here goes... My story begins in February 1987, at age 30, when I was initially diagnosed with manic episode. I had a history of mild depression in my teens - I didn't even know it was called depression. It was just a frequently visiting "dark cloud" with yuck feelings which came and went. However, I soon realised that this so-called manic episode was a lot more than that and that I was in BIG trouble. My life slipped into a massive crisis, when I was told by a psychiatrist that I had full blown Bipolar Mood Disorder. I had a 4 month old son... in a new city... in a new job! As a professionally trained, successful counsellor and therapist - with a strong academic history - I refused to accept what I felt was a "shameful" condition. I struggled for 13 years in denial and with a sense of shame - hoping my faith in God and prayers of others would just take away this nightmare - and a miracle would appear. The miracle did come but not in the form or timing I had expected. Due to three sets of interconnecting events, I was confronted by the reality of my Bipolar condition and that it was a "medical condition" - not personal failure. Not a personality dysfunction or psychosis. In May 2000, I finally gave it! Hoisted the white flag of surrender and things began to change fast and almost immediately. The sense of relief! I will share more of my journey and the many hard-earned lessons. Join me and... don't be afraid! There is always HOPE. Peter Winston Guess B.Soc.Sc.[SW] Cape Town, South Africa [I will continue my story in the About section that will follow soon. Please be patient and bookmark this site in your browser or drop me a line to be on my notification list for Updates and News] THE BIPOLAR AND ANXIETY MENTAL FITNESS TOOLKIT
The idea for this Toolkit comes from the celebration of World Bipolar Day during 2019. So I've jam-packed this Mental Health Toolkit full of 6 heart-warming, life-enhancing goodies. Click the button below to get your FREE Toolkit. "Fairy Tales From The Bipolar Forest" - by Karin Visagie. Read about the author below.
What will you will get out of the book? 1. A clear understanding of what *Bipolar Mood Disorder is. 2. A gripping, personal story telling it as it is. 3. Inspiration and Hope to cope with Bipolar and Depression. 4. A unique, easy reading experience in the form of a series of Fairy Tales. 5. Help for the person with Bipolar and their loved ones. BUY the book from our Online Book Store. Use the button below. Warm regards, Peter Guess | B.Soc.Sc.(SW) >>>>> Select the button below >>>>> |
PODCAST - MY STORY: PETER W. GUESS
As part of World Mental Health Day 10 Oct 2021, I want to share my latest podcast: My Bipolar Story - Experiences, Insights, Symptoms & Treatment of Bipolar Mood Disorder. This is my story, by Peter Winston Guess, Cape Town, South Africa. Podcast (also on Spotify): https://anchor.fm/peter-guess/episodes/My-Bipolar-Story---Experiences--Insights--Symptoms--Treatment-of-Bipolar-Mood-Disorder-BMD-e18hqd7 Mental Health site: https://www.mentalhealth.org.uk/campaigns/world-mental-health-day More News From Our Facebook Page
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About The Author |
I currently live in Cape Town, South Africa but as a child I also lived in Bloemfontein and Johannesburg. I’m the youngest of three children – my siblings were in their teens when I was born, so I pretty much grew up like an only child. Luckily my very active imagination kept me entertained for hours, as I created my own games and stories that I got totally lost in. I was born in 1975 and I’m part of Generation X.
After I matriculated, I went to college for two years and qualified in public relations secretarial (admin) and I’ve been doing virtual assistance (marketing, social media marketing) and admin work ever since. I’ve held different positions at different places, even worked for myself and for the last few years I’m working for doctors. Since childhood, I’ve always had a head full of stories, something that has never changed over the years. I like to write stories with a difference and hope to one day make a difference in people’s lives with my stories. Not long after I was diagnosed with Bipolar II, I started a blog about my journey and blogged for about four years and then the blogging platform went down. Although people never commented much, my blog was read 83,000 times. So I knew that together with the comments I received, visitors identified with my journey. This inspired me to keep writing and blogging as I do till today... Why Did I Write This Book? When I decided to write this book, it was therapy for me, telling my story, because there is healing in telling your story. I also wanted to write it to tell other people on a similar journey, that there is hope, but I wanted to do it from a survivor’s point of view. Not cold, hard facts. I’ve decided on the fairy tales simply because I like story telling with a difference – and the difference is the world of fairies in mystical forests. The idea for this book was born some time after I was diagnosed with Bipolar Disorder II. I was hungry for information about this ‘thing’, my companion of many years who suddenly had a name. I had to learn what Bipolar Disorder was on my own. I was given my diagnosis and my script and that was it. The internet and book stores provided factual information, but I wanted more. I felt isolated and scared, not knowing what to expect and often not knowing what to believe. Sure, I read inspiring blog posts and articles, I bought books and downloaded tons of e-books written by doctors and other knowledgeable people, but none of that filled the scary void. I was looking for hope. I wanted to read about someone else’s journey of hope. I wanted someone else to say to me that I’m in for one heck of a journey, and that as time goes by, I’ll learn to co-exist with my illness. But alas, in all my searches, I couldn’t find such a book. So I decided to write one! Thank you for your interest in my book. I hope you will enjoy your journey with the Sunflower Fairy through her magical Qwerty Forest. I hope to see you soon in the Bipolar Forest, where Sunfairy continues her journeys. Karin |
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