Finished my third week back to work full-time. Went out on disability end of June. Am now fully medicated, supposedly, and am emotionally "stable" but feel like I can't manage my life anymore. It's overwhelming... single mom raising 2 teenagers with severe mental illness, not enough money, and I'm always so exhausted. My son in trouble at school every day, daily calls from his teachers... Yes, the fog has cleared. That's not good news. Now I can see my life calmly and clearly, and what wreckage.

I feel like Rip van Winkle waking from a years-long dream of bipolar madness... and looking around to see that everything I loved has been lost.

Weekend plans: drive son to football game, drive daughter to swim practice, go to eye doctor, pick up daughter, pick up son. Try to sleep. Try to persuade self to shower, cook, grocery shop, launder. Try to feel glad to be alive and stablized.