Uncategorized « Straight Talk on Managing Bipolar Disorder

Information on Julie’s Books and Coaching for Parents and Partners

I’m often asked to explain what I do. This is it in a nut shell!

All of my books are based off of my Health Cards Treatment Plan for Bipolar Disorder. All of my books work for those with the illness and are especially helpful for those who care about someone with the illness and just want to know what in the world is going on when their loved one gets sick.

If you scroll to the bottom of the page- you can see my books package. This is the most popular way to get all of my work. I call it the complete management system. It’s also great to get a box of books delivered to your door that you know will change [ Read More ]

Bipolar Happens! Kindle Testers Needed. Enter the Contest!

The Kindle version of Bipolar Happens is almost ready! I will send an email soon to all testers with all of the details. This contest had a great response- so I will have to do another one soon!

Thanks to everyone who wrote- the contest is closed. More later! julie

Bipolar Happens! 35 Tips and Tricks to Manage Bipolar Disorder is the first book I ever wrote. I was so excited. Finally, I was well enough to write. I’d tried to write a book for many years, but something always got in the way. That ‘something’ was usually bipolar.

When I started using my Health Cards Treatment System for Bipolar Disorder, my life changed- I could work again. I could write.

The result was Bipolar Happens! 35 Tips and Tricks to Manage Bipolar Disoder: I [ Read More ]

Bipolar Depression Management Secret: Every day has a plan

Depression has been my unwanted companion for many years. I work hard to make sure it doesn’t take over my life. I’ve noticed that free days where nothing is schedule are a problem for me. Because of this- I try to schedule myself out a week in advance. This doesn’t always work. Would you believe there are people who aren’t this crazy about scheduling and say, ” Let’s see what happens?” 😉

I know what works for me. Scheduling and being with people. This is especially true on Friday and Saturday night. Do I wish I were different and more ‘fluid’ with my scheduling? Of course! But I’m depressed a lot- and this is what helps. Julie

Bipolar Disorder Medications Side Effects Tip

I take a lot of Lamictal for my bipolar disorder. (My dose is really high: 700 mg)

This can be hard on the system if I only take it during the day. I now have it on a 24 hour cycle. I take half throughout the day and then take the rest throughout the night.

It’s hard to keep track of bipolar meds- I find it very frustrating, upsetting, worrisome, etc when I look at my daily bottle and all the meds are sitting there. I forgot to take them! That happens rarely, but it’s still a problem.

Here’s what I do to remember my meds. I have an empty bottle that I fill every day with my Lamictal dose. I put that in my bag and take the half of the meds. Then I come home and empty the bottle on my counter next to a glass of water. I take a pill, then [ Read More ]

Are you a selfish, mean and nasty depressed person?

In the past, I was definitely a self centered, whiny, sad and complaining person. I HONESTLY didn’t know this could be a part of depression. I always thought depression was sadness and crying. Since my diagnosis in 1995, I’ve studied all forms of depression and was surprised to see that many people with depression can be just downright nasty and negative!

My former self included.

When I found this out- I wrote down all of my negative behavior and one by one changed it- the depression still brings it on. But I know how to counteract. When I get restless and unhappy, people drive me crazy and I feel like punching something. When I’m negative and nasty, no table in a restaurant is ever good enough for me and people are always happier than I am.

When I’m negative and nasty, nothing is right, so I make sure everything is wrong around me by being [ Read More ]

Do you have a bipolar disorder mood swing chart?

Yes, I chart my moods every day!

I used to have an alarm on my watch (hilarious! but it was 1998!) that indicated it was time for a bipolar check in. I used this a lot when I first created my Health Cards management plan. I really didn’t know how to manage my moods very well- because I didn’t really know what moods I was having!

Monitoring my moods with an alarm really helped me learn about myself. What did MY bipolar look like? What was my mania like?

Why did I do certain things during certain mood swings? Was there a pattern? Was I in the middle of a mood swing and didn’t know it? Was it [ Read More ]