dancing through the pain: living with bipolar.

As someone who has bipolar, I know it is not an easy disease to deal with. It physically hurts sometimes, and the mood changes can be frustrating, to say the very least. But, if you have bipolar, it's not going away, so why not make the best of it?(:


bipolar can be lived with. You can thrive with bipolar. You're not crazy. You're not stupid. And you aren't going to kill anyone. Just read through these tips, and use the ideas that work for you.

• Be patient. Don’t expect an immediate and total cure. Have patience with the treatment process. It can take time to find the right program that works for you.
• Communicate with your doctors. Keep the lines of communication open with your doctor or therapist. Your treatment program will change as you change, especially if you had early onset in your teens, so keep in close contact with your doctor. I go to see my doctor every 3 weeks, just so I can be sure my medications and therapy are working for me. Talk to your doctor if your condition or needs change and be honest about your symptoms and any medication side effects. I keep mood tracking charts everywhere: my bedroom, my car, my backpack, my purse. If I feel that I'm cycling I write it down. This way, I can better discuss with my doctor what has been happening.
• Take your medication as instructed. If you’re taking medication, follow all instructions and take it faithfully. Don’t skip or change your dose without first talking with your doctor. I know it's annoying, and sometimes embarrassing, but you will not feel better unless you take the necessary steps. Believe me, no one cares if you take medications, more than 90% of Americans do.
• Get therapy. While medication may be able to manage some of the symptoms of bipolar disorder, therapy teaches you skills you can use in all areas of your life. Therapy can help you learn how to deal with your disorder, and the effects the disorder has on the people around you, cope with problems in your life, due to having bipolar or otherwise, regulate your mood, change the way you think, and improve your relationships.
• Develop a Wellness Toolbox. If you spot any warning signs of mania or depression, it’s important to act swiftly. When you feel these, it’s helpful to have a "wellness toolbox" to draw from. A wellness toolbox consists of coping skills and activities you can do to maintain a stable mood or to get better when you’re feeling “off.” The coping techniques that work best will be unique to your situation, symptoms, and preferences. It takes experimentation and time to find a winning strategy. However, I have found the following tools to be helpful in reducing symptoms and maintaining wellness:
• talk to a supportive person.
• get a full eight hours of sleep.
• cut back on your stress-causing activities.
• attend support group.
• call your doctor or therapist.
• do something fun or creative.
• take time for yourself to relax and unwind.
• write in your journal.
• excersize.
• ask for extra support from family and friends.
• cut back on sugar, alcohol, and caffeine.
• increase your exposure to light.
• increase of decrease the stimulation in your environment.
• Turn to friends and family – Support for bipolar disorder starts at home. It’s important to have people you can count on to help you through rough times. Isolation and loneliness can cause depression, so regular contact with supportive friends and family members is therapeutic in itself.
• Join a bipolar disorder support group – Spending time with people who know what you’re going through and can honestly say they’ve “been there” can be very therapeutic. You can also benefit from the shared experiences and advice of the group members. To find a support group near you, visit the "Living with Bipolar?" page.
• Build new relationships – Isolation and loneliness make bipolar disorder worse. If you don’t have a support network you can count on, take steps to develop new relationships. Try taking a class, joining a church or a civic group, volunteering, or attending events in your community.
• Build structure into your life. Developing and sticking to a daily schedule can help stabilize the mood swings of bipolar disorder. Include set times for sleeping, eating, socializing, exercising, working, and relaxing. Try to maintain a regular pattern of activity, even through emotional ups and downs.
• Exercise regularly. Exercise helps so much and may reduce the number of bipolar episodes you experience. Aerobic exercise is especially effective at treating depression. Try to incorporate at least 30 minutes of activity five times a week into your routine. Walking is a good choice for people of all fitness levels.
• Keep a strict sleep schedule. Getting too little sleep can trigger mania, so it’s important to get plenty of rest. For some people, losing even a few hours can cause problems. However, too much sleep can also worsen your mood. The best advice is to maintain a normal sleep schedule, going to bed and waking up at around the same time each day.
• Make a Happy Jar. write down a memory that makes you happy every time you think of one, then, when you're feeling blue, you can take out each happy memory and read over them one by one, which would definitely bring back smiles and remind you of good ole times that your brain might've misplaced as time passed. or! you can even open it up at anytime you're feeling down to remind you of all the happy times and blessings that God has so graciously given to you in this beautiful life.