Frequently Ask Questions (FAQ)

Q: What does the word "funk" mean?

A: The word funk is my way of expressing the weird, droopy feeling I get when I am experiencing mild depression. Typically, I have a hard time focussing on the tasks that are required. Instead, I tend to withdraw and seek diversion activities.

Q: Is it common for individuals treating Bipolar Disorder with prescribed medication to miss the energy and the "highs" from the untreated hypomania or manic times?

A: Yes, occationally the high energy is wonderful in achieving projects in a fraction of the time it normally takes. I miss the old me that seemed to be able to tackle more. I've found that people think I am doing very well, dealing with all my circumstances. Yet, those same people don't see the parts of my life that have gone neglected. I do the chores that demand doing, and I let everything else go. I hope I am right in pursuring my education above all else. I believe that the degree will help me get the job I want, but I'm not totally sure. I'm scared. When I first posted my information in A Better Place to Be, I was functioning at a higher level. Currently, I tend to become overwhemled, when I do find I have the energy, with not really knowing where to start first. I've succumbed to a life of giving into spending way too much of everything... money; time avoiding my school homework with computer games; time on videos or movies watched; stops for take out meals. When I reach out for advice, others say to me: "Can you do baby steps? Take one thing at a time, picking the highest priority?" I don't always correctly figure out what is the highest priority, but I do what I can for the moment, the day.
(February 28, 1999)

Q: Was there anyone particular you had in mind when you wrote (Tuesday, May 10, 1983), or was it just a general feeling that you had? How did you manage to get through or over it?

A: Unfortunately, I don't have any advice about how I was able to get through the feelings of loneliness. At the time that I wrote my "May 1983" journal piece, I was nineteen and I was thinking in particular of a friend I knew at college in Oregon. He and I had been on a few group dates together. But suddenly, I found myself wanting the relationship to grow past friends. A lot of the self pressure, I believe, came from the fact that I knew I would be moving to the Midwest at the end of the semester. I simply ignored my hurting and just lived through it somehow.

The loneliness didn't disappear. Rather, the next opportunity, the following December, that I met someone who liked me as much as I like them... I ended up getting into a relationship that led to getting married.

In hindsight, I am amazed at the powerful impact that my recurring loneliness and isolation feelings have had on my life at several times. Getting involved in a new relationship with someone in a new town, merely put a band aid on the inner pain. I'm twice divorced. I've had one significant relationship since my second divorce. Currently, I am right back where I was at nineteen in terms of emotions. It's curious that you wrote your inquiry at a time when I can identify again with my own journal entry.
(July 11, 1998)