Posts

7 Ways Your Partner Can Help You Manage Your Bipolar Disorder

-
Image
  Whether your primary support person is a spouse, relative, or trusted friend, enlist their help in managing your bipolar disorder symptoms when times are tough. As a therapist, I assist people with  bipolar disorder  in making a plan of action — and enlisting a spouse, trusted friend, or relative in co-creating such a plan — for managing things when the going gets tough. Here are seven ways you can help your primary  support  person know how to be a partner with you in your diagnosis . 1. Make a Written Agreement Sit down with your chosen person and a pen and paper. Explain that you need a partner to help you  manage your bipolar , and that this will require the two of you to work out details together. Make certain that your person trusts you and your judgment when you are well, and is willing to take this on with you. 2. List Your Unique Early Bipolar Symptoms Both  mania  and  depression  can be managed more easily if they are recognized before they intensify. Make a list of the pe
Post a Comment
Read more

Your Bipolar Disorder Does Not Define You

-
Image
  Understanding and accepting that you’re not defined by your diagnosis is key to staying strong while living with bipolar. Picture a road that easily divides into two parallel lines. One line represents the real me and the second line represents  bipolar disorder . When I’m well, the lines move forward with ease and I simply get on with my life. When I’m ill, the bipolar line turns into a corkscrew that squiggles its way forward and backward — often on a whim, with no direction and little regard for the other line that’s yelling at it to behave. This bipolar line can manically jump miles into the future as the real me line tries to keep up. Or sometimes it stops completely while the line that represents the real me tries desperately to move forward through the mud. If I had an EKG-style reading of these lines over the past 30 years, I don’t think a machine could even catch all of the movements of my bipolar disorder. Charting My Moods I’ve charted my moods since my official diagnosis
Post a Comment
Read more

Three Habits of Successful People With Bipolar

-
Image
  Having insight into your health conditions, prioritizing sleep, and being responsible with substances is always smart — especially if you have bipolar disorder. I received two rejections recently, one of which forced me to click on four links and enter a password before I could access my “regret-to-inform-you” letter. I consider it a sign of intense maturity that, at 41 years old, all I did was hurl curses at a screen instead of hurling my laptop across the room. People think writers are good at rejection, but the truth is we deplore it just as much as anyone else. Even if we  say  we’re “good” at it, we’re wrong. I used to be one of those delusional writers, boasting a “thick skin,” insisting that the constant rejection didn’t gnaw at my spirit like a festival of rapidly replicating viruses. Of course, I was lying — to myself and everyone else. All that rejection is crushing. But what prevents me from throwing tantrums and laptops on a daily basis is knowing that I am both not alone
Post a Comment
Read more

3 Bipolar Disorder Symptoms No One Wants to Talk About

-
Image
  The three symptoms below represent the side of bipolar disorder we all know is there but rarely want to let the public know exists. I know how important it is to protect the reputation of  bipolar disorder  in the general public. We don’t want people thinking we are dangerous, scary, “crazy” people who can’t be trusted. But I do feel we need to own up to the fact that certain mood swings  do  cause the behaviors we want to sweep under the carpet. The three symptoms below are parts of bipolar disorder that we’re all too familiar with, but often choose to keep under wraps from the outside world. This is only an opinion, of course, but I’m truly interested to know if you feel the same. 1. Dangerous, Aggressive, and Violent Behavior in Bipolar Disorder I work with parents and partners of those with bipolar disorder. In the majority of situations, people who are in a strong  dysphoric manic episode  can be dangerous, aggressive, and violent. Physical assault and weapons are not uncommon.
Post a Comment
Read more

10 Things Not to Say to Someone With Bipolar

-
Image
  Choosing your words carefully can strengthen relationships, fuel recovery, and make for a better quality of life for everyone. You may think that talk is cheap. But, when words are used thoughtlessly, carelessly, or hurtfully, they can take a heavy toll. Like an arrow, “wrong” words can be sharp, piercing a person’s spirit, ripping away at self-esteem, and making a person feel belittled or even betrayed. Ill-chosen words can strain friendships and create stress. And especially vulnerable are  people who have bipolar disorder . Now, let’s be honest. Dealing with  bipolar disorder  is not only tough for the people who have the illness, but it’s also a challenge for those who live with them. Taking time to consider the impact of what you say before you “fire away” makes it easier. Choosing your words carefully can strengthen relationships, fuel recovery, and make for a better quality of life for everyone. “Never tell anyone that he looks tired or depressed,” says H. Jackson Brown Jr., i
Post a Comment
Read more