Me and my cousins on the praia in Natal, Brazil
Traveling with Schizoaffective Disorder and Bipolar Disorder
By Greyhound or Plane, keeping a Positive Attitude. What I relish in life is the fact that I had the opportunity to travel by myself to different countries. It surpassed the Saturday night movies with my husband and the fixing of Portuguese chicken dinners for my clients as an certified nurse’s aide.
When I would leave for my ventures, my husband, Joe, was elated that he was getting some time to himself. My moods were unsettling. He had high respect for me, but he carried around the stereotype that, “brains and beauty don’t mix.” I never considered me as a beauty but figured it to be a compliment. Getting rid of the “you suck” attitude that was in my mind was one of my priorities. My commitment to take care of my mental health made these experiences happen. I packed my things and boarded the Greyhound Bus and planes for points out West and to other countries to satisfy my mental itch. The trips were well planned and as I met my relatives overseas, I became more educated and more together, finding my self-confidence.
It was no piece of cake transitioning between life in the USA, and life elsewhere, but Joe and I needed a breather and I had an incessant drive to make things work. I took my medication religiously, listened to my doctors, and my travels took care of my mood swings and intense paranoia. With Joe’s and my “cooling off period,” our relationship became strong and compromising.
Arts and Writing by Sherry 