Courage with Bipolar Disorder
"It takes courage to live with bipolar disorder yet bipolar has given me courage."
Xanthe Wyse
Xanthe Wyse
Creative Expression
AS THERAPY
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Xanthe Wyse is diagnosed with bipolar disorder (type 1), post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and social anxiety disorder. Also noted to have clincially significant autism spectrum features (under PDD-NOS diagnosis).
She finds creative expression, especially visual arts to be therapeutic. Processing and transforming trauma and accessing deep parts of herself that words cannot express. Accessing emotions that have been shut down from trauma, from times which she could literally not speak. Xanthe usually paints listening to music that fits her mood and letting the songs speak for her. She paints metaphor and moods and likes vibrant, intense colours. She often dances whiles she paints in a meditative, trance-like state which calms her mind. She has had two solo art as therapy exhibitions. Her last exhibition was called Speak. The artworks are all aspects of Xanthe's story in metaphor pulled apart and put back together in a new way. Her semiautobiographical novel, Pet Purpose: Your Unspoken Voice is a complex painting with words. |
Moving to Soar Purpose
May 2023 update: Repurposed as Soar Purpose, creative expression beyond advocacy.
In April 2023, I made a decision to discontinue advocacy, as I am burnt out with it. I feel 'all talked out' and I no longer want to be pigeon-holed as being all about bipolar disorder. It's exhausting for me to speak on video. At this stage, I will leave my vlog up, no longer adding videos.
I am also no longer adding blog posts, although I have updated some, as this week, I was doxxed and swatted (after I decided to walk away). I am not going to fight back but I have stood my ground. I've committed no crimes and I will not delete the most recent blog posts. I am done with advocacy and all the drama, in-fighting and toxicity.
I want to focus on my more introverted creative projects, including completing a memoir, Bipolar Courage, about some of the behind-the-scenes drama during the advocacy journey (I like to write about relationship drama). I am making a lot of effort to make very vague who the people are. Anticipate self-publishing in 2023 but there's still a lot of work to do before it's complete. I will do a low-key announcement when it's finally published.
I will be directing any online activity into my other website, Soar Purpose where I will also link to associated social media. So far, Soar Purpose has been my recharging my batteries space, where I haven't fronted a camera. Where I can avoid speaking. It currently has some bird and nature video clips. I envision Soar Purpose as a space where I can share my creative efforts (art, writing etc), hopefully without the exhausting parts like speaking on camera.
My advocacy journey actually started way back in 2008, when I won a major prize in an Australasian writing competition for my essay describing a breakdown in metaphor. My advocacy has included mental health, trauma, autism spectrum and immigration issues. Note that I have not taken in even 1 cent in donations for my volunteering. Advocacy has become toxic and been corrupted by bullying, egos and profit.
I founded advocacy group Oz Kiwi in 2013, which influenced both the Australian and New Zealand governments to make a major reform recognised by official leaders of both countries to be the biggest in a generation. Helping hundreds of thousands of people plus their descendents. I loathe politics, so that is something that I am quite amused at (blame it on an elevated mood episode, I guess).
Most of my work from 2017 to 2023 is still up under Bipolar Courage, mostly on the Bipolar Courage YouTube channel.
The most viewed blog post as Bioplar Courage was "How to Spot a Fake Autistic" (collaboration with an autistic autism advocate).
The most viewed YouTube video was "Bipolar mania episode on camera." (currently over 38,000 views, filmed when in denial of bipolar disorder diagnosis before started the Bipolar Courage channel).
I want to try get back to writing my books and also get back into painting. Maybe even playing piano again. I have very limited energy and I want to do what helps my wellbeing. I am not interested in being involved with ongoing drama.
I have made a free downloadable resource for those who are interested more about what bipolar mania can look like (with examples from my own experience).
My big goal for 2023 is to complete my memoir, Bipolar Courage. How it's going and what it's about (I write about relationships with disabilities).
Xanthe Wyse
In April 2023, I made a decision to discontinue advocacy, as I am burnt out with it. I feel 'all talked out' and I no longer want to be pigeon-holed as being all about bipolar disorder. It's exhausting for me to speak on video. At this stage, I will leave my vlog up, no longer adding videos.
I am also no longer adding blog posts, although I have updated some, as this week, I was doxxed and swatted (after I decided to walk away). I am not going to fight back but I have stood my ground. I've committed no crimes and I will not delete the most recent blog posts. I am done with advocacy and all the drama, in-fighting and toxicity.
I want to focus on my more introverted creative projects, including completing a memoir, Bipolar Courage, about some of the behind-the-scenes drama during the advocacy journey (I like to write about relationship drama). I am making a lot of effort to make very vague who the people are. Anticipate self-publishing in 2023 but there's still a lot of work to do before it's complete. I will do a low-key announcement when it's finally published.
I will be directing any online activity into my other website, Soar Purpose where I will also link to associated social media. So far, Soar Purpose has been my recharging my batteries space, where I haven't fronted a camera. Where I can avoid speaking. It currently has some bird and nature video clips. I envision Soar Purpose as a space where I can share my creative efforts (art, writing etc), hopefully without the exhausting parts like speaking on camera.
My advocacy journey actually started way back in 2008, when I won a major prize in an Australasian writing competition for my essay describing a breakdown in metaphor. My advocacy has included mental health, trauma, autism spectrum and immigration issues. Note that I have not taken in even 1 cent in donations for my volunteering. Advocacy has become toxic and been corrupted by bullying, egos and profit.
I founded advocacy group Oz Kiwi in 2013, which influenced both the Australian and New Zealand governments to make a major reform recognised by official leaders of both countries to be the biggest in a generation. Helping hundreds of thousands of people plus their descendents. I loathe politics, so that is something that I am quite amused at (blame it on an elevated mood episode, I guess).
Most of my work from 2017 to 2023 is still up under Bipolar Courage, mostly on the Bipolar Courage YouTube channel.
The most viewed blog post as Bioplar Courage was "How to Spot a Fake Autistic" (collaboration with an autistic autism advocate).
The most viewed YouTube video was "Bipolar mania episode on camera." (currently over 38,000 views, filmed when in denial of bipolar disorder diagnosis before started the Bipolar Courage channel).
I want to try get back to writing my books and also get back into painting. Maybe even playing piano again. I have very limited energy and I want to do what helps my wellbeing. I am not interested in being involved with ongoing drama.
I have made a free downloadable resource for those who are interested more about what bipolar mania can look like (with examples from my own experience).
My big goal for 2023 is to complete my memoir, Bipolar Courage. How it's going and what it's about (I write about relationships with disabilities).
Xanthe Wyse