By Anica Oaks
Bipolar disorder is a mental and biochemical disease that affects many people. It is characterized by alternating periods of depression and periods of mania, an overall impulsive mindset where someone is highly euphoric or irritable. Some people need therapy to control this, others use pharmaceuticals to help, and most need a combination to live a stable, happy life. Here are some ways to bring your life into balance, and allow you to live more healthily and productively.
Take Responsibility
You are not your disease. Though you may not have total control of yourself when you slip into a depressive or severe manic state, you are responsible for finding a way to prevent this when you can, and for cleaning up the messes you make when you are in this state. Being bipolar doesn’t mean that someone will be easier on you when you get a job and don’t show up, or you act angry at a girlfriend or boyfriend. You are not a victim, you are someone who has to work harder to gain normality. Own this and work on it. To deny responsibility will only lead to a downward spiral.
Create Structure
A planned life makes things much easier for someone with bipolar disorder. Studies show that late nights and poor diets can trigger manic periods. By creating a simple, structured life with time for fun and a reined-in version of your manic plans, you can keep both the highs and lows from running your life. Develop a schedule and stick to it – make it as detailed as you need, including even ordinary things like making meals and cleaning up from them, taking showers, and going to work.
Develop a Support Network
Find a support group, or bring your family (or makeshift family and friends) to a regular group counseling session. Let professionals like those of Options Family & Behavior Services help them to keep you accountable with your therapy steps and to watch for signs that you’re taking medication and it’s working. Options Family & Behavior Services, Inc. is dedicated to providing a person-centered therapeutic rehabilitation journey to all individuals and their families with mental illness, chemical dependency and/or brain injuries. So whether the plan is to confront you or speak to your counselor, run through plans of what to do when they find you slipping down or up.
Make a Goal
Don’t feel trapped in your structured life – there is nothing to stop you from achieving the degree or career you want. Make a goal and a detailed plan to implement it. The aspiration will help fulfill any grandiose manic state, and achieving portions of the plan will help to move you forward in periods of depression.
A diagnosis of bipolar doesn’t mean you need to live differently than others, only that you may need a more structured route to get there. By making a good plan and following through, you will find that you can live a stable, rewarding life without constant worry of slipping into destructive habits.
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