Straight Talk on Managing Bipolar Disorder

Get it Done When You’re Depressed: Think like an athlete!

Think Like an Athlete

I like to talk with people who have achieved excellence in the sporting world. Their dedication and perseverance are similar to what it takes to manage bipolar disorder successfully.

Here is a great quote:

You can neither win or lose if you don’t get into the game.

How true. I often get scared and stressed when I approach a new book deal. There is always the chance of a no- but there is always the chance of a yes- so I stay in the game. I always get sick bipolar wise when I write books with strict deadlines- I often feel I can’t go on. But I do and I’m glad I stick it out. When I do interviews for my book Get it Done When You’re Depressed, the interviewers inevitably ask me about my Think Like an Athlete tip. Athletes keep going no matter what- and we can too. If you’ve never tried it, a batting cage or driving range are a lot of fun and a great way to get out of a depression.

I have been thinking lately that it would be fun to go to a driving range and see if I can still hit a ball. Maybe there is a golf pro out there who would like to give me some tips! 😉

Julie

Summer Mania

Bipolar Disorder Mania Peaks in the Summer!

NOw is the time for a mania check…

Wow, I had a wild hypomanic episode a few months ago. I wrote about it at the time. If you go to the mania link to the right, you can read all about mania and my experiences. It’s a very, very dangerous mood swings as it feels good- absolutely no one wants to be depressed, but people who experience euphoric mania often welcome it and never want it to end. (Agitated mania is called dysphoric mania- it’s also explained on the mania link to the right.)

We really are moving into the mania season. Sunlight affects our sleep as we get more sun through the eyes – which affects the brain. So, yes- keeping out of the sun helps. But who wants to do that if they have been depressed?

This is a complicated illness- and we have to know our mania symptoms just as much as our depression symptoms.

How is your mood as compared to what it was in the winter? Are things maybe feeling a bit TOO great?

Julie

Julie on Twitter

I am on TWITTER once again

It is so ubiquitous I can no longer ignore the technology!

I will post those concise 140 word updates when I have a new project in the works or soon to be released! I promise not to keep telling you what I’m eating throughout the day!

Feel free to look for Julie Fast on the Twitter page and join in!

http://twitter.com/JulieFast

If you send questions on Twitter, they are pretty easy to answer with a few sentences. I will answer the Twitter questions on the blog. Of course I will also answer as many blog questions as well.

Julie

Thanks to everyone…

Hi There,

I am constantly amazed at what great comments readers leave on the site. It helps me to remember that bipolar disorder is an illness and we all get sick in the same way. We truly don’t have ’emotional problems!’ We have trouble regulating our emotions. It’s a big difference.

If you have a comment you feel would help someone- feel free to post it under their comment. I just ask that you stick to your own experience and what has worked and hasn’t worked for you. This helps more than you know because your story lets others know they are not weird and they are not alone! (We just act weird and feel lonely- ha ha)

I woke up depressed- reading the blog this morning helped! I am just going to get on with my day.

It’s an illness and we can manage it.

Julie

Reader Comment: Mania and Sex

Here is a question from a brave reader who is dealing with some tough problems surrounding mania. Most of us have been through them- one of the main symptoms of mania is a lack of judement and control around sex. Beleive me, I had that problem for a long time. Here is the question and my answer:

I suddenly am unable to control the sexual drive towards another man who is happy to soothe me. I am a happily married woman. I seem to get caught up in the moment and I don’t know how to stop. I don’t seem to want to stop. He comforts me and brings sanity to an otherwise insane world. I know it would break my spouses heart and that he would leave me it he knew. I have to say I wouldn’t blame him. I know there is no future with this man, just comfort. Help.

Hi Sara,

Immediate help is needed and it has to start with you. If this is mania- even mild mania- it means that what you do now has the potential to wreck your future. If you have never done anything like this in your past and have not had problems with your husband in the past- go to the doctor now and tell what is happening with your bipolar disorder. It’s easier to do this first than try to handle this completely on your own with the other man. If you were on a drinking binge and in the gutter- you would have to get help for your drinking- if you have bipolar disorder and are having an affair – as many, many people do when they are manic- then you need meds and help ASAP.

Mania is so tricky. It tells you in the moment that all is fine- and then when it ends, you come out of it and say – oh my god. What was I thinking? That wasn’t me? My ex Ivan had an affair when he was manic. He was devastated when he got out of the hosptial and the mania was gone. Luckily, I knew enough about mania by then to know it wasn’t him.

But you have reasoning now- or you would not have written this site- this means that the mania is not bad enough for you to not see what you’re doing as was the case with Ivan.

Here is your choice- to let bipolar disorder and the choices you are making now ruin your life- or to find the strengh in you now to call your doctor and get meds that will help.

It’s up to you and I know YOU know what choice you must make immediatly. If I can control my sexual behavior around milder mania- you can do the same. It’s hard, but it’s 100% possible.

You were able to write your brave comment on this site and you are ABLE to take charge of your life and save your relationship with your husband.

You CAN DO IT!

julie

BipolarHappens.com Blog: A Welcome to New Blog Visitors

Welcome to new visitors on the Julie Fast Bipolar Disorder Blog

I love this blog. It chronicles all of the moods of the ilness as well as tips for us to stay stable, focused, functional, productive and happy. It’s for family members, partners, friends and health care professionals too!

If you’re new to the BipolarHappens.com blog, there is a wealth of information in the archives to the right.

I suggest starting with the Mania and Rapid Cycling sections as they are often the most confusing parts of bipolar disorder.

Generic Lamictal: (Lamotrigine)

From all of the blog topics, Generic Lamictal received the most comments.

Generic Lamictal- wow, we went crazy with this one. I had a terrible reaction to generic Lamictal, as did many of the blog readers. But, many of you wrote and said the generic Lamictal (Lamotrigine was just fine for you. Generics are an interesting topic as few people really understand them- including all of the people I asked when I got sick!

Britney spears three years ago:

The Britney Spears situation was also followed very closely- I was interviewed in US Magazine and on TV about her manic episode and subsequent psychosis and down swing- but I have to say that considering that she went out on tour less than a year later- I really amazed she did so well… can you imagine getting that sick and then going back to work that soon? She is now trying for a comeback, but anyone who saw her try to dance with Rhianna knows she is not back to form.

Since that time, Charlie Sheen and Catherine have been the bipolar disorder subjects in the media.

Bipolar Disorder Treatment

This is obviously my specialty. I’m often asked why sI focus on bipolar disorder so much. Julie, you write soo much stuff about bipolar disorder. Blogs, magazines, books. Why?” The truth is that bipolar disorder is with me every day, so I might as well write about it and help others! It also helps me to write. My bipolar has changed and gotten worse- so there is always something new to write about. Such as the fact that I have had more dysphoric (agitated) mania this year. Yuck.

Dysphoric Mania

I just wrote about it on my BP Magazine blog:

Click here for the blog: The comments on this post are really great, so make sure you check them out.

Euthymia

When you have stable periods between mood swings – it’s called euthymia. I don’t get euthymia very often! I have the chronic rapid cycling- writing about it keeps me well. I use my own tips daily. I try them out for a long time before I write about them. My books are listed in the About Julie’s Books tab on the menu bar. My treatment system called The Health Cards Treatment System for Bipolar Disorder is explained as well. ( Ialways have to mention my books! )

The Blog in a Nut Shell!

These are just a few of the topics on this blog. If you’re new, welcome! I hope you find a lot of information and hope- and don’t forget to read the reader comments- there is a little icon about each blog entry that lets you see how many people have commented! The blog gets over 20,000 hits a month, so there is always great content.

Welcome!

Julie