Uncategorized « Straight Talk on Managing Bipolar Disorder

Bipolar Disorder Medication Tips: Travel

Here are some tips on travel and meds:

– Put your meds in more than one place.

– Put meds in your carry on.

– Put meds in regular suitcase.

If you lose either one, you have to make sure you have enough meds to last the trip.

– Make sure your bottles have your name on them and the name of the pills. Don’t mix them all together.

– Talk with your prescriber and ask her to be ready if you need a prescription called in to your destination.

That way you will have meds no matter what happens.

Julie

PS: Your meds are gold- make sure you travel safely.

You don’t have to watch the news.

There is a lot of terrible stuff going on in the world.

I stopped watching the news years ago- and when I do have to see it, I’m amazed at how the main stories are the stories from all of those years ago!

It’s hard to ignore the news. We have been raised on it and for many people, world knowledge is an important sign of intelligence.

I am fine with not knowing what is going on in certain situations. I don’t mind appearing uninformed. Not at all. If I have a question, I ask a friend.

My stability is what matters. As a reader suggested during the Japanese tsunami, we don’t have to read about something, but we can donate to companies who can make a difference.

If the war in the Middle East is too stressful, you can turn off the news. [ Read More ]

Bipolar Disorder and OCD Symptoms

Six characteristics of OCD

1. Overestimation of Risk- worry that things are much more dangerous than they are. 2. Excessive feelings of responsibility- worry you are responsible for something bad happening. 3. Controllability- feel out of control. 4. Over importance of thoughts-listen to anxious thoughts instead of seeing that they are a product of anxiety. 5. Intolerance of ambiguity- must know what is going on in order to stay calm. 6. Perfectionism- Everything has its place and must stay there.

People with bipolar disorder may share some of these characteristics. I certainly deal with 3, 4 and 5 regularly!

Do you have OCD symptoms during mood swings? Are they triggered by outside events?

Julie

PS: OCD is an anxiety disorder that stands for Obsessive Compulsive Disorder. The Obsessive part is the worry- [ Read More ]

Bipolar Happens! is #1 in Bipolar Disorder Books on the Kindle!

Bipolar Happens: 35 Tips and Tricks to Manage Bipolar Disorder is the #1 Bipolar Disorder Book on the Kindle!

That’s exciting. I went to the Kindle store to see how my books Loving Someone with Bipolar Disorder and Take Charge of Bipolar Disorder were doing on the bipolar disorder page. These books are in the top ten ranking- and then I saw that Bipolar Happens! was #1.

Fantastic! Bipolar Happens! is an enjoyable book about a serious topic.

Guess what- it’s only $.99 I want it to be available to everyone.

Yes, I think this is a great deal and a good way to get helpful information about bipolar disorder at minimum cost. Bipolar Happens! was my first book. I knew I wanted to talk about how I manage the illness, but I also wanted to tell stories about [ Read More ]

Thank you for your comments!

I want to say thanks to everyone who sends in reader comments- I want you to know that I read all of them. It helps me to see that others understand what I go through- and that we can then share our stories with readers!

I was hypomanic manic last night and only got about five hours of sleep. I know it was mania because I’m not tired. It’s frustrating as it’s not a good sign. But it’s a reality. It sure did feel good!

How are you? Is there anything you can change right now that could help manage the illness more successfully? I’m going to stay at home tonight instead of going to karaoke- which is what I feel like doing. It used to be really hard to stay [ Read More ]

The Boston Marathon Bombings: You Don’t Have to Watch the Media Coverage

Regarding the bombings at the Boston Marathon in the United States

It’s so important to remember that we don’t have to follow the news if it upsets us. We can read about it next week- or ask others for an update.

A 24 hour CNN stream of the aftermath of this event is detrimental if you are not doing well.

If you are upset right now, I highly suggest staying off the internet and turning off the TV. That is what I do. Anxiety, especially OCD, paranoia, fear, depression and worry about the future can be triggered. I always remind myself that I can learn about a world event and then let it go. If donations are needed, I always find it helps to support an organization like the Red Cross.

There is a disaster relief donation button on the Red Cross [ Read More ]