How To Manage Bipolar Disorder With These 5 Simple Tricks
You can successfully treat and manage your bipolar disorder by taking healthy steps. There are countless examples and ways to do this, but I will share with you five things I do to help manage my bipolar disorder.
The first action I took, even before implementing these five strategies, was taking personal responsibility for my bipolar disorder. I only could do that after I found acceptance. Accept that, yes, I do in fact live with bipolar disorder. Without acceptance, how can you treat or manage an illness if you do not accept you have it in the first place?
After I accepted my diagnosis of bipolar disorder, I took personal responsibility for it. I did this first by focusing on finding the right treatment. I took further responsibility by taking my medication, attending my therapy sessions, and using trial and error to find the tools and strategies that helped me to manage each day.
One of the biggest lessons I learned was to hold myself accountable by controlling those things I could.
I cannot control a mood episode, but I have control over my choices. I can choose to take healthy steps to manage bipolar disorder before I even have a manic or depressive episode. I control the tools and strategies I use in order to function each day.
I would like to share some tricks I have found useful for how to manage bipolar disorder.
Tip #1
Meditate
Meditation is a great tool to center yourself and reduce the negative impact of stress – especially when life gets overwhelming or out of control. It is a daily preventative measure you can use to help manage bipolar disorder. Personally, I have had wonderful success with meditating. Try adding it to your daily routine, and see if it can help you, too.
There are also apps specifically designed to guide you through a session of meditation. I do not have a lot of experience with those apps. However, I have heard positive feedback about the app Calm. Check it out if you like.
Some people enjoy taking in-person classes about meditation. If that is you, try inquiring at your local library or at a community college near you.
Yoga is another option to consider. It not only has meditative properties but is a great form of exercise. It is extremely recuperative for both your mind and body. When I go through a session of yoga, I feel the stress-reduction benefits immediately upon completion.
Tip #2
Increase Your Daily Steps and Activity
Without a doubt, exercise is one of the top ways to improve your overall well-being. Personally, I have found it to be at the top of my list in helping manage my bipolar disorder. The different studies I have read through the years show how exercise provides a marked improvement in both mood and energy levels, among many other benefits. This has been my personal experience and why I follow a regular workout training program.
However, the term “exercise” puts some people on the defensive with its mere mention. If this is you, let me give you a different option. If starting a brand-new intense workout program seems intimidating, simply focus on increasing your movement each day.
Here are some suggestions to become more active each day:
Take the stairs instead of the elevator.
When running errands, park farther away from the entrance.
If you have a dog, take them for a walk.
Go window shopping.
The point is to take those extra steps each day. If you focus on increasing your steps each day, those little additions, over time, will add up.
Tip #3
Supplementation
During my yearly wellness visit with my doctor, I make sure they order a blood panel for all of my vitamin and mineral levels. More than once my doctor has discovered a deficiency in one of them.
Remember, before taking any supplement, first check with your doctor.
Here are two common supplements and their benefits:
Fish Oil
Studies show that taking around 1,000 individual units of fish oil per day might enhance your mood, in addition to your other medications.
Vitamin D
You can get Vitamin D through direct sunlight and through supplementation. It is important to have your Vitamin D level checked regularly. A low Vitamin D level can indicate depression.
Talk with your doctor to check your Vitamin D level. From my experience, if my level is low, the medications used to treat my bipolar disorder are not as effective. In fact, more than once I found out through a simple blood test that my Vitamin D level was drastically low. My doctor added a potent Vitamin D supplement regimen, and I noticed an improvement in my mood once my level stabilized.
Tip #4
Hope and Gratitude
Living with bipolar disorder, I know first-hand that my mind can play tricks on me. Sometimes, I cannot trust my own thoughts because my mind is lying to me.
One way I manage day-to-day is to find hope. For me, I have discovered a way to find hope is to acknowledge what I am grateful for. For example, I focus on the “little things,” whether it is playing a game with my son, going for a walk, or watching a movie with my family.
What are you grateful for? Write down your answers.
A healthy habit to adopt is to list the things you are grateful for upon waking up in the morning and before going to bed each night. Write your lists in a “gratitude journal.” You can list as many or as few as you like. Over time, your journal will get filled with pages of gratitude. When you are struggling, read through your “gratitude journal” to provide some encouragement.
Finding hope is a critical component to help treat and manage the difficulties of bipolar disorder. To fight the bipolar battle, I “train” my mind each day by practicing healthy behaviors. A “gratitude journal” is a tool I use to do this each day.
Tip #5
Engage With Others
Being around people is part of being human. Socializing provides you with the opportunity to be around others and expand your support network.
When I was younger, I loved going out, being around people, and socializing. Through the years, I have learned the importance of balance regarding relationships and interacting with others. As someone who is extremely empathetic, I find it difficult to be around people for an extended period of time. That being said, I do my best to socialize when I can. Like all the other healthy habits I have adopted, it simply takes practice.
During a depressive episode, my therapist suggests I do the opposite of what I am feeling. When I feel depressed, I do not want to be around other people, and I feel like I have no energy. So instead of isolating myself, he suggests I go out and be around others.
The same line of thinking extends to my energy level. When I feel depressed, the last thing I want to do is move. My therapist always encourages me to do something active when I am in this state.
Having said all of that, it is nearly impossible to start anything new when I am in a depressive episode. That is why I stress the importance of socializing and getting active before you become depressed. Practicing these healthy habits before an episode strikes trains you so that when you do go through an episode, you can carry the momentum with you.
Last Thoughts About How To Manage Bipolar Disorder
I follow the medical model of treatment by taking both medication and seeing a therapist regularly. However, it does not end there. Each day, I practice healthy behaviors and habits to increase my ability to manage my bipolar disorder.
I take it one day at a time in order to function. However, I also consider the big picture. Over time, the small actions I take each day will add up to weeks, then to months, and then to years.
