Living with bipolar has made me very flexible and resilient. On average I spend about six months out of the year in depression and one to two months every year or two in mania. The instructions on an airplane definitely apply to my life - be sure to put your oxygen mask on yourself before helping anyone else. I need to be a good advocate for myself in dealing with bipolar moods.
First I need to take my medication as prescribed. If I want to make changes to this regime, I talk to my therapist and ultimately my psychiatrist.
I need to have a regular sleep schedule.
Staying in contact with my therapist and psychiatrist is a must for me.
I need to get and cultivate a support network, these close individuals become protective factors against my disorder.
These are a few of the basic things that I tend to do because I live with bipolar disorder. I don't always know where my mood will take me on a day-to-day, week-to-week basis. It helps my life run smoother if I can be flexible with my schedule. Some days it is important to just move, get out the door and keep my commitments. On other days I just need to stay in and practice self-care. I need to be able to cancel or reschedule events as needed.
I have also learned things about myself, such as, that I am a very resilient person. On some bad days, I can just push through and fake it till I make it. When I need to stay in and take it easy, maybe even take a nap then I do that too. I always try to keep a little kernel of hope in whatever mood as I know this too will pass. I will come out of whatever mood is present, eventually. And if I am staying in touch with the professionals and my network then I am taking steps to get better.
The only way out is through.
Take good care,
Christine
"Belief consists in accepting the affirmations of the soul; unbelief in denying them." - Ralph Waldo Emerson