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. Watching the news will not help the people. You can then give money or volunteer to help the cause. Watching is not always the answer.

If you are stressed by the world right now, it’s ok to take a break.

Julie

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- did I turn off the stove, is she going to call, did I hit a man while driving, are things in order like they should be? These obsessions are so uncomfortable, a person creates a compulsion in order to calm the thoughts such as checking the stove, going back to the place you thought you hit a man, checking the phone every few seconds and putting things in order such as the crayons in the picture. OCD is treatable- mostly with behavioral therapy.

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 how it affects my life daily.

There are stories about anger, manic spending, anxiety at a baseball game and what it feels like to be psychotic! It’s a book that family members love too. I love it myself. It’s hopeful.

Click here to go to amazon.com. You can read part of the book and then add it to your Kindle. Wow, $.99!

Julie

PS: If you’re new to my work, this is a great way to experience my writing style and the quality of my information. If you like it, you can come back for 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 home when I felt like this, but I’ve gotten better at choosing my health over my hypomania fueled desires.

Thanks for the comments. I wish I could answer them all! Julie

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 website here.

Does anyone have other donation ideas where we can help, but don’t have to get overwhelmed by the situation? I will follow my own advice- even though it’s so ingrained in us to follow a story minute by minute.

If you are in Boston, how are you? Julie

4/16/13 It’s the second day. I stuck to my own advice, though it was hard and didn’t watch any coverage. I knew I wanted to have an update this morning, so I went to CNN. I wanted to see if there were any news on how it happened. Instead, I read a personal story of a 78 year old runner who is the one in the picture where he has fallen down and the cops are running towards the blast. I then saw some very upsetting pictures and I had to stop. I had the info I wanted. There was no news on why this happened.

I trust my bipolar reaction more than my personal reaction. I can handle the news- bipolar often can’t.

Go easy on yourself. Turning it off doesn’t mean you don’t care. julie