When my kids were little, I wrote a parenting blog. And we used to bake. Right now it’s hypo/mania season in our house, which coincides with birthday season. While I don’t bake as much these days, I like to celebrate my not-so-little ones on their special days, with a special cake. I thought I’d share ..read more

Happy 2024! This excerpt was cut from Crazy, my memoir about being diagnosed with bipolar 1 during an extreme manic episode, the psych ward and healthcare system, and my recovery. As per Virginia Woolf, “In expressing it I explained it and then laid it to rest.” To learn more about my memoir, visit charisejewell.com/crazy. ∞∞∞ Slender ..read more

I’m often asked if there were any warning signs of my mental illness before my bipolar 1 diagnosis at age 40, when I experienced my first manic episode and hospitalization. Prior to mania, I had a history of seasonal depression and occasional depressive episodes, which were always related to something upsetting in my life at the time. Nothing was immediately obvious at first, but when I thought about it, there were some indicators, in hindsight. I put together this series of me with my dog, describing possible warning signs. Click on each episode to view. Episode 1: Blockbuster Episode 2: Dri ..read more

November is my cruellest month, but I distract myself with NaNoWriMo aka National Novel Writing Month. It inspires me to write, and also to share what I’ve learned after decades of honing this craft. I hope you find the following useful. My Approach • Set a daily goal, using words or time. Mine is 1 hour or 700 words. • Write at the same time every day. Similar to working out, doing it early ensures it gets done. • Edit yesterday’s writing before starting today’s. This helps ease you in and means you’ve already edited once upon completion. • Don’t edit while you write. You can do it tomorrow ..read more

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When we’re stressed, it’s very difficult to think of how to feel better in the moment. A self care box that you put together with your favourite items (when you’re NOT stressed) helps immensely because it is filled with things that bring you joy AND it takes all of the thinking out of the critical moment when your body and mind both feel under attack. In the video below, I share the contents of my self-care box*. I use it when I’m sad, irritated, or any time I need a quick pick-me-up/distraction. I forgot to mention the nailpolish *This is also called a Skill Kit in Dialectical Behavior Ther ..read more

Reviews are incredibly valuable to authors. They provide feedback for our work and generate buzz to attract new readers. Thank you to those who have reviewed Crazy, Memoir of a Mom Gone Mad. Quotes from some of the reviews are displayed below. To rate or leave your own review, click here ..read more

Today marks six months since my book launch. To celebrate, I created a newsletter. This is for VIPs (aka email subscribers), who have access to bonus content, sneak previews, and book giveaways! To subscribe, submit your email address in the field at the bottom of this page, or contact me. Page 1, Spring 2022, Issue 1, Charise JewellPage 2, Spring 2022, Issue 1, Charise Jewell Crazy, Memoir of a Mom Gone Mad, is about my bipolar 1 diagnosis at age 40, and trying to recover while fighting stigma and the healthcare system. Visit charisejewell.com/crazy to watch the trailer. © Charise Jewell 2022 ..read more

During my first manic episode, in 2017, I became obsessed with garbage. I saw beauty and purpose where no one else did. This picture shows the start of the compost pile I would later use to create a garbage dinner for my family, shortly before I was hospitalized and diagnosed with bipolar 1. I wrote about this “feast” in the prologue of my book, Crazy: Memoir of a Mom Gone Mad. Read or listen by clicking one of the buttons below. Read Listen More Thanks for reading and sharing to help stop the stigma ..read more

These are the songs that made me feel something during my roller coaster of mania and depression, throughout the three year time period of my book. Click the Play button to listen on Spotify or scroll below for my songlist. Lose Yourself – Eminem Closer – Nine Inch Nails Crazy Train – Ozzy Osbourne Lithium – Nirvana Miss World – Hole Not a Pretty Girl – Ani DiFranco Breathing Underwater – Metric Falling Slowly – Glen Hansard and Marketa Irglova Spirits – Strumbellas We’re Going Home – Vance Joy I Alone – Live Here Comes the Sun – The Beatles Diamonds on the Soles of her Shoes – Paul Simon Ma ..read more