Thanks to everyone for your reader comments and questions-\u00a0 here is one regarding work and bipolar mania.<\/p>\n
Hi Julie,<\/p>\n
I have been have episodes where I experience mania, wanting to buy stuff limited need to sleep and the inability to concentrate, focus finish an assigned task. This is a real problem at work as I work at a law firm and my hours are billable. I seem to have the episodes the week before and during my menstrual cycle. Do you know hormonal changes can effect my bi polar cycle\/episodes? This is a real problem and I have so much anxiety because my Manager has approached me about my job performance and has sad some threatening thing to me regarding my position. I am so anxious and afraid it has a negative effect on my performance, which does not help the situation at all.<\/p>\n
BDA Angel<\/p>\n
\u00a0<\/p>\n
Hi,<\/p>\n
Mood swings affect work performance. That’s a fact of bipolar disorder. It’s one of the reasons I asked the poll question about whether a person with bipolar disorder would hire someone with bipolar disorder! So you are not alone. But… we can also be the greatest at work once we manage the illness because we can be more creative and self aware than most. It’s so essential that we all have a plan to manage mania when it comes to work. I know that I’m extremely creative when I’m hypomanic- but I can also be a bit over the top. I’ve learned to harness the hypomania while making sure I don’t make the mistakes I made in the past. It can be done, but it takes a lot of practice.<\/p>\n
\u00a0Menstrual cycles can be very, very influential on mood swings. I suggest that you get a mood swing chart and start charting your moods daily- then you will know your pattern and can prepare for the mania days in advance. I would also discuss meds with an experienced health care professional- bipolar disoder medications can be used at certain times of the month and then stopped when they are not needed. This takes monitoring by a HCP though.\u00a0 I would also be very careful if you’re taking birth control pills- they can affect your moods as well- sometimes in a good way and sometimes adversely! I know my signs of mania to the most miniscule change in mood- but it can still sneak up on me and I’ve used my treatment plan for nine years solid! It gets a lot better once you have a system.<\/p>\n
If the mania is affecting your work- it’s essential that you start something now- I sound like a school marm here- but I can’t say enough about the importance of a plan we use every day! We need our work- but we also need to make sure the bipolar doesn’t affect our work adversely.<\/p>\n
\u00a0Why does it have to be so hard for us! The facts are that it is harder. We have to be more vigilant. But…. once we learn to manage the illness better, we can be stable in relationships and work. I’m working full time now- and that is a dream come true. You can keep your job and even work more effectively once you chart those moods and start a plan! Take Charge of Bipolar Disorder has a mood swing chart in the back- and example of how I use mine.<\/p>\n
And one final comment- what is the first sign you have that the mania is showing up when your cycle changes? Write that down and put it in your desk- and on your fridge- you can also tell the people in your life- when you recongnize the sign- you can say to yourself,”It’s time to put my plan into effect so that I don’t let this mood swing adversely affect my work!” I was not able to work at all in the mid ninties. I now have my own business and work daily.\u00a0 It’s great that you are working as well!<\/p>\n
\u00a0julie<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Thanks to everyone for your reader comments and questions- here is one regarding work and bipolar mania.<\/p>\n
Hi Julie,<\/p>\n
I have been have episodes where I experience mania, wanting to buy stuff limited need to sleep and the inability to concentrate, focus finish an assigned task. This is a real problem at work as I work at a law firm and my hours are billable. I seem to have the episodes the week before and during my menstrual cycle. Do you know hormonal changes can effect my bi polar cycle\/episodes? This is a real problem and I have so much anxiety because my Manager has approached me about my job performance and has sad some threatening thing to me regarding my position. I am so anxious and afraid it has a negative effect on my performance, which does not help the situation at all.<\/p>\n
BDA Angel<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
Hi,<\/p>\n