Me and My Bipolar Disorder

There are many things you can do in your daily life to get your symptoms under control and to keep depression and mania at bay. Build structure into your life. Developing and sticking to a daily schedule can help stabilize the mood swings of bipolar disorder. Include set times for sleeping, eating, socializing, exercising, working, and relaxing. Try to maintain a regular pattern of activity even through emotional ups and downs. Exercise frequently and avoid sitting for long periods of time. Exercise has a beneficial impact on mood and may reduce the number of bipolar episodes you experience.

Aerobic exercise such as running, swimming dancing, climbing or drumming — all activities that keep both arms and legs active are especially effective at treating depression. Try to incorporate at least 30 minutes of activity into your daily routine. Ten minutes here and there is just as effective as exercising for longer periods of time.

Walking is a good choice for people of all fitness levels. Keep a strict sleep schedule. For some people, losing even a few hours can cause problems. However, too much sleep can also worsen your mood. The best advice is to maintain a consistent sleep schedule. Stress can trigger episodes of mania and depression in people with bipolar disorder, so keeping it under control is extremely important. Know your limits, both at home and at work or school. Learn how to relax.

My Life with Bipolar I: What I Wish People Knew About Bipolar I Disorder

Relaxation techniques such as deep breathing, meditation, yoga, and guided imagery can be very effective at reducing stress and keeping you on an even keel. A daily relaxation practice can improve your mood and keep depression at bay. Make leisure time a priority. Do things for no other reason than that it feels good to do them. Go to a funny movie, take a walk on the beach, listen to music, read a good book, or talk to a friend. Doing things just because they are fun is no indulgence. Play is an emotional and mental health necessity.

Using Your Senses to Alleviate Stress. Appeal to your senses. Stay calm and energized by appealing to your senses: Listen to music that lifts your mood, place flowers where you will see and smell them, massage your hands and feet, or sip a warm drink. From the food you eat to the vitamins and drugs you take, the substances you put in your body have an impact on the symptoms of bipolar disorder—for better or worse.

• Living with Bipolar Disorder: Self-Help Tips for Managing Your Symptoms and Staying Balanced.
• Accepting Your Bipolar Disorder Diagnosis - bpHope : bpHope;
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Eat a healthy diet. There is an undeniable link between food and mood. For optimal mood, eat plenty of fresh fruits, vegetables, and whole grains and limit your fat and sugar intake. Space your meals out through the day, so your blood sugar never dips too low. High-carbohydrate diets can cause mood crashes, so they should also be avoided. Other mood-damaging foods include chocolate, caffeine, and processed foods. Omega-3 fatty acids may decrease mood swings in bipolar disorder. You can increase your intake of omega-3 by eating cold-water fish such as salmon, halibut, and sardines, soybeans, flaxseeds, canola oil, pumpkin seeds, and walnuts.

Omega-3 is also available as a nutritional supplement. Avoid alcohol and drugs. Drugs such as cocaine, ecstasy, and amphetamines can trigger mania, while alcohol and tranquilizers can trigger depression. Even moderate social drinking can upset your emotional balance. Substance use also interferes with sleep and may cause dangerous interactions with your medications. Attempts to self-medicate or numb your symptoms with drugs and alcohol only create more problems. Be cautious when taking any medication. Certain prescription and over-the-counter medications can be problematic for people with bipolar disorder.

Be especially careful with antidepressant drugs, which can trigger mania. Other drugs that can cause mania include over-the-counter cold medicine, appetite suppressants, caffeine, corticosteroids, and thyroid medication. Dealing Effectively with Depression and Bipolar Disorder — Covers key recovery concepts and strategies, such as mood and symptom monitoring and crisis planning. Depression and Bipolar Support Alliance. Stories of Coping and Courage — Read the personal stories of real people dealing with bipolar disorder. Keeping Your Balance — Australian government sponsored site offers a self-help series on managing bipolar disorder.

Includes cognitive and behavioral strategies for managing and preventing mania and depression. Centre for Clinical Interventions. Improving and Maintaining the Quality of your Life — Advice on improving the quality of your life through healthy lifestyle modifications such as eating right and exercising. Support Groups Outside the U. The content of this reprint is for informational purposes only and NOT a substitute for professional advice, diagnosis, or treatment. ORG Trusted guide to mental health Toggle navigation. What can you do?

Get involved in your treatment Monitor your symptoms and moods Reach out Develop a daily routine Keep stress to a minimum Watch what you put in your body Topic Page Bipolar Disorder. What can you do to cope with bipolar disorder? These tips can help you influence the course of your illness, enabling you to take greater control over your symptoms, to stay well longer, and to quickly rebound from any mood episode or relapse Living with bipolar disorder tip 1: Get involved in your treatment Be a full and active participant in your own treatment. Improve your treatment by: A list of emergency contacts — your doctor, therapist, close family members A list of all medications you are taking, including dosage information Symptoms that indicate you need others to take responsibility for your care, and information about any other health problems you have Treatment preferences — who you want to care for you, what treatments and medications do and do not work, who is authorized to make decisions on your behalf.

Help someone else by volunteering. Have lunch or coffee with a friend. But others believe that accepting the diagnosis is integral to treating the illness effectively.

Accepting Your Bipolar Disorder Diagnosis

You need to know all the options, so you can make an informed health-care decision. Her father committed suicide when she was 17 and her late sister had schizoaffective disorder. A librarian at Norwich University in Northfield, and the mother of three teenaged boys, Lise, 48, had for years been treated sporadically for depression. Then a car accident—a drunk driver totaled the car she and her family were riding in—heightened her depression.

Her family doctor switched her antidepressant and before long Lise became manic. She left her husband and sons and moved into an apartment. A hospitalization and a diagnosis of bipolar II followed.

Instead of the more socially acceptable label of depression, she had a severe, chronic mood disorder. Instead, there will be a classification for mood disorders. Lise found that her family history actually strengthened her resolve to reclaim her life. Medication adherence is the biggest roadblock to fully accepting bipolar disorder, according to Mondimore.

But these feelings subside with the support of loved ones and by undergoing psychotherapy, he adds.

Self-Help Tips for Managing Your Symptoms and Staying Balanced

Side effects are a more tangible reason people refuse, or go off, psycho-tropic medication. For example, Jo had to learn to live with a pound weight gain and hand tremors. For her part, Julie initially refused to take lithium because it was so heavily associated with bipolar disorder. It can also be deeply frustrating to accept that medications can only manage, not cure bipolar, Ludman points out.

The notion of having to take pills every day for the rest of her life intimidated Wendy L. After discussions with her husband, however, Wendy decided that for his sake she needed to stabilize her moods. Those fortunate enough to have a loved one willing to join them on the road to recovery travel a less lonely path. He was so accepting of it that it helped me accept it.

Julie, who was living in a small town when she came out as a lesbian, believes society is more accepting of homosexuality than mental illness. When Julie told her boss she had bipolar, the woman, who is also a good friend, responded: Nothing has changed, except that you know something about yourself that can make you feel better. They ask you a series of questions designed to route you to a product of the pill industry.

Starting with the truth

Way to objectify sick people. The brutal barbarity of the mental health industry is patently on display. No wonder metnally ill people stay away from doctors and especialyl hospitals. I had a different life until I was fired from my last job about 5 years ago. On top of that I was married to an abusive man for which was then about 25 years.

After I was fired I had a breakdown and was diagnosed as having Bipolar 2. I loved hiking a lot. I was the planner in the circle of my friends. I planned many wonderful hikes, musicals, movies, dinners, stand up comic shows and so much more. Why can I only shower twice a week. This morning I woke up with an epiphany. I realized my life is different now and I need to accept my limitations instead of focusing on how I struggle and then beat myself up. I am getting better little by little with the help of medication and therapy.

The medication merry go round has taken about 7 years and I still may not be on the right combo of meds. My next step is ECT. I am going to talk to my therapist about this today about my limitations and accepting myself. I have to start looking at any progress I make even if it may seem so small for the day. Thanks for the article and for the comments. I was diagnosed about a year ago, age 43 and 4 hospitalizations under my belt. I thought that I had accepted the diagnosis, albeit grudgingly, but despite my med compliance and frequent therapy sessions I realized that I am both ashamed and scared of the disorder.

It will be with me until my dying breath and that is still hard to fathom and give space to. Managing bipolar takes a lot of hard work and dedication, but the positive effects in your life can certainly make it worth it. I happen to be a very public person and I very publicly have bipolar disorder. Everyone who reads me, everyone who reads my book, anyone who sees anything to do with I would like the world to know how hard it is to have this illness.

How strong we are to manage it daily. I was recently asked the question: What does caregiving in your household look like? Caring for Sean has never been a burden for me. For a while Sean had trouble keeping a job, just Accepting Your Bipolar Disorder Diagnosis. Bob Smith November 23, at 1: