AI Tom Hanks

Finding humor in the world of mental health seems like searching for a haystack on a needle. Apparently lifelong battles with one’s own mind doesn’t always bring out the

The funny side of life—I do think it’s possible to embrace it. The hard part for me is separating my symptoms from my personality. For instance, I know I’ve had periods of mania and depression, but that isn’t me. Yet sometimes, I feel like if I start joking again, those around me will think I’m not being serious enough—like I have to be serious to prove I’m aware of my bipolar brain.

It’s a bit like seeing a divorced person dancing at a wedding. People might think, How can they dance like that? They’re divorced. They should be sad. Divorced people can’t have fun. That’s how it feels. I become hyper-self-aware and think, I better not joke or poke fun—it’ll be like letting my guard down to the shame of my disorder.

I’m working on this. My goal is to be able to share my musings with anyone who wants to listen, to prove that even after a mental breakdown, we can still wake up and make fun of the Today show. It’s our right.

So, look forward to intense arguments and deep thoughts about why it’s totally appropriate to put ketchup on a hot dog or the wild theory that Tom Hanks actually died while filming Forrest Gump and has been AI ever since. It’s thoughts like these that make life what it’s supposed to be—fun.