It’s easy to feel cheated by Bipolar Disorder.

Some days I feel self-pity and anger about having a chronic, life-long illness. I can’t begin to feel grateful for it. I have my days where I curse it. I cry about it. I feel all the colours of emotion, but least of all I feel gratitude.

And yet I can’t shake the feeling that the whole damn thing was one big huge blesson.

What the heck is a blesson you ask? It’s when you are able to see the blessing in the tough, terrible, temper-tantrum-worthy crap you have had to endure. You accept the blessing in the lesson, and poof – it’s a blesson!

We all get doled out these life lessons. We have no choice about that fact. But we do have full control over what we do once they happen. I have always believed that it isn’t the mistakes we make in life that define us, it’s what we do after they happen that unveil our true nature.

And even if the crap we endure isn’t as a result of a choice we made, we still have a choice in how we respond to it. Having Bipolar Disorder could have defeated me, but instead it made me stronger. It made me more compassionate and understanding of others who live life with mental illnesses and disorders. And it made me more determined to help others.

And so today I share a story that I hope helps and inspires you. This is a story about a young woman who would probably tell you that she believes in blessons too. She is living proof that gentleness, kindness and compassion should always be our response to people living with mental challenges. It touched my heart and I hope it touches yours too.