Straight Talk on Managing Bipolar Disorder

Bipolar, A Day in the Life of …. Me

A day in the life of me…. All I want to do is write. I want to finish my books, write my Bp Magazine and Psychology Today blogs. I want to make my videos, see my friends and family and get on with life.

Bipolar disorder DOESN’T CARE about any of this.

Bipolar disorder is a very complex illness with incredibly intricate symptoms that weaves its way into every fiber of my being.

Today was a challenge and sometimes when it gets time for bed, all I can do is say thank heavens I made it through another day of this rotten illness.

I am saying thank you now simply because this is my policy. I am thankful I have a management plan that works. Otherwise, today would have been a @#$! storm.

I am thankful for my mother and nephew. They understand me.

I am thankful I have clients who can deal with my emails being a bit late. Bipolar never affects the quality of my work, but it affects my ability to answer email. Go figure!

I am thankful this kind of day isn’t every day anymore. For many years, my life was all bipolar. All of the time.

Now, my life is much better! Today was an aberration.

I can live with a day of bipolar.

Tomorrow, you better watch out because I’m going to get things done!

Julie

The Humdinger Bipolar Downswing

My bipolar depression episode has ended. It was three weeks and it was a humdinger. Here is a picture of a humdinger. I can’t stress enough that the BEST thing about bipolar disorder is that it’s an episodic illness. Episodes end. Every day I would wake up and say,

“This is the day I get out of this horrific episode.”

Eventually it worked.

I spent at least four to five hours a day working on bipolar disorder management tools I know have worked in the past. Especially the strategies in Get it Done When You’re Depressed.

You can get better. Your loved one can get better. Your client can get better. My depressions used to last for years. They now last weeks at the most.

Think of reducing the length of your mood swings as a goal. This helps me find success.

Julie

The Day is Never Lost…

….. if we can eventually use our experiences to help others. I believe this. Julie

Three Nasty Bipolar Disorder Symptoms that are not Mania and Depression!

Three bipolar disorder symptoms you probably think are a personal failing:

1. Inability to sit down and work like you know you should be able to and could do if only… you could sit down and work darn it!
2. Restlessness.. Nothing feels good. From chairs to people.
3. Lack of insight as to why I struggle so much in daily life.

Here is why this list is important. I HAVE THESE SYMPTOMS WHEN I’M NOT MANIC OR DEPRESSED.

I remember when I wanted to say that bipolar disorder was more than mania and depression and my publishing company said, Nope, it’s a mania and depression illness. We can’t say that the above are actually symptoms. They are a subset of mania and or depression.

Well, I know have ten more years of experience than when I wrote my book Loving Someone with Bipolar Disorder and now know for sure that we have baseline symptoms that are present when we are not manic or degreased. They

Here is how I over come these symptoms. I wrote Get it Done When You’re Depressed for #1. I use the tips daily. I still struggle, but at least I am able to do my foundational work very well. Coaching. Writing is my challenge.

The second symptom is also discussed in Get it Done and darn it, if it’s the last thing I do, I will figure this out. Diet and caffeine play a role here as does my surroundings.

Lack if insight. How do I deal with this? I remind myself that I have lack of insight. This doesn’t always give me insight, but it does let me go easier on myself.

Be kind to yourself Julie, Be Kind.

This is a complex illness- I call it the garbage pail illness as we have symptoms of ALL mental health disorders on any given day.

I believe in your and your ability to manage this illness. If I can write this post while crying due to a panic attack and then feel better simply from writing the post, it means that you can work and get on with life even when the bipolar is messing with your brain chemicals.

I will not stop until I have come up with a better plan for my life. I am close. I have come so far. If you are newly diagnosed, Take Charge of Bipolar Disorder explains my plans. If you want a more advanced management system, especially if meds don’t give you enough relief, my Health Cards Treatment System for Bipolar Disorder is available on my website BipolarHappens.

I know, this is a long post. This is how I heal and make it through the day so that I can now do my email without crying.

You can get better! I can get better! Julie

My new book for kids has too characters named Wimple and Weejit. My illustrator, Kaytie Spellman must see inside my mind. This is exactly what they look like when they are messing with my brain chemicals. HEHE.

Julie

PS: Read the three symptoms again. Do you experience these during your daily life? What triggers them? How can you get help?

Mean Bipolar Downswings: Check Yourself Before You Wreck Yourself!

When overwhelmed, negative mood swings arrive, they can bring out some very unsavory behavior.

1. No table at a restaurant pleases.
2. No food tastes good.
3. Driving causes road rage.
4. Life feels very difficult.
5. It’s hard to find a comfortable place to sit.
6. Work is scattered.
7. The body is out of whack.
8. People get on the nerves.
9. Life is too busy.
10. We want a different life.

When I have one of these mood swings, I recognize that I’m overwhelmed and I take action. It usually takes me hours to get myself to calm down and those are often lost hours. I have to stop myself from driving randomly. I will park, go in a place, feel uncomfortable and leave over and over again if I let myself. I will eat sugar to feel better and to calm down. I will snap at people and yell and scream and pedestrians who do something stupid.

I don’t want to be this person, so I check myself before I wreck myself.

Julie

Bipolar Disorder Changes that Bear Fruit….

Bipolar depression getting you down? My goal every day is to go to bed feeling better than when I woke up. I find this goal attainable when I’m in a deep depression. If I set my goal too high- such as not being depressed at all when I go to bed, I’m often disappointed. But… if the goal is to get better throughout the day, it’s always attainable.

My down swings are less than 25% of what they used to be. This is due to medications that work and my plan to do something each day to get better.

I started this plan 20 years ago and it started bearing fruit many years later.

If you start today and make small changes, you life WILL be better year by year.

Long term change- such as a 75% reduction in depression symptoms takes time.

Feeling better when you go to bed is a short term goal you can do TODAY.

My book Get it Done When You’re Depressed lists all of the different fruits of change that can grow on your tree. woo!

Julie