Three treatment tips you may not have thought of….
1. The people in your life often cause more bipolar disorder symptoms than you do yourself. Make a list of the people in your life and rank them in terms of which ones make your symptoms better and which ones who make them worse. Then you have some decisions to make!
2. Caffeine is a drug just like pot and alcohol. It’s addictive and it causes sleep problems just like pot and alcohol. Though it feels like it helps depression, in reality it makes it a ton worse because it affects sleep. I LOVE coffee and I have taught myself to drink decaf. If you have sleep problems or trouble with anxiety- coffee, energy drinks, super dark chocolate and lots of black tea may be the culprit!
3. Making successful bipolar disorder management a goal exponentially increases your chances of a happy, stable and healthy [ Read More ]
I always say that I wish I could work full time. I really, really love to work full time. I mean 40 hours a week- the normal stuff. I keep thinking I can do it. Intellectually I can! Yesterday, I gave a two hour talk to a great group on the topic of Seasonal Affective Disorder. I spent a few hours prepping for the class. It was all of the logistic stuff I can’t stand- getting books ready- copying my handout. But gosh, it wasn’t rocket science! After I gave the talk, it was around 4PM. I felt like I had been on a ten hour walk. IT WAS RIDICULOUS!
But this is what happens to me. My body gives out- I think it’s the adrenaline of working for eight hours. My other friends with bipolar disorder experience the same thing. It doesn’t happen all of the time, but it’s definitely a work thing [ Read More ]
If you’re new to this blog, you can look at the top of the blog entry to see if there is a number next to the comments button. I don’t know why they make it so small! It’s easy to add comments – and I do read them all before they are posted. Lately I’ve added my own comments to each posting.
Your opinions mean a lot- especially to the other reader, so please add as many as you like. I appreciate opinions different than my own and especially like it when readers offer suggestions to a reader’s question.
I am back from a two week trip where I learned a lot about myself. First of all, I thought that having free time meant having a vacation. It doesn’t. Free time means that I’m always worrying that I should work more- and I get upset that I’m sick all of the time. A vacation- I just had one for the first time in probably 10 years- is different. One day with my friend Pam, I just walked around San Antonio, Texas and didn’t think about my work at all. I enjoyed the beautiful setting of the River Walk and the company of my friend of over 20 years! I think that is the definition of a vacation from bipolar disorder as well!
Julie
PS: When I got really sick in 1998, I was a mess and lost most of my friends. Pam was in the Peace Corps in [ Read More ]
I am very hard on myself when I have a tough day and can’t work. It’s hard for me to remember that this is a serious illness. If I had asthma, I would know there would be some times that I couldn’t run – or if I had MS, there would be times when I would feel tired. And yet, with bipolar, it’s hard to see it as an illness. It is just so darn personal. I had a super tough day today. I was sick. That is the truth. I have to go easier on myself. Bipolar Disorder is an illness and I had to take a sick day.
I lost an entire day today. That has not happened in a while. I’ve been traveling to see friends and for the most part, I’ve had a wonderful time. I was able to work with my friend Lorraine as we are both writers. When Lorraine went back to her regular job, my concentration and ability to work plummeted. I’m used to this. Yesterday, I made myself work using my normal techniques and ideas. I made sure I told Lorraine the projects I was going to get done so that I could show them to her when she got back. It’s a technique that works. When I know I have to show my work to someone, I can focus more.
Then today… I am in Florida, so I wanted to go to the beach. The plan was to drive there, walk on the beach and write [ Read More ]
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Mom Brain Podcast
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