33 Tips and Tricks to Manage Bipolar Disorder
…an excerpt from Bipolar Happens! by Julie A. Fast
1. I check my moods daily. I try not to let an episode sneak up on me.
2. I know the absolute first signs of a swing and I take action at the beginning.
3. I educate the people in my life about the illness and how they can best help me.
4. I am now able to see who can help and who can’t. I don’t ask for help from the wrong people.
5. I try to accept my limitations.
6. When I am ill – I stop everything and do anything to get better, because I know that I don’t have a real life when I am in the jaws of bipolar disorder.
7. I learn from others, but I try to learn to listen to myself as well. I know what works and what doesn’t.
8. I use the Health Cards Treatment System and I teach everyone I can how to use the Health Cards so that they are ready when I get sick.
9. I now know that making a spur of the moment change is not a solution for bipolar disorder. I have to be happy where I am before I can ever be happy anywhere else.
10. Impetuous decisions are a sign that I am not well.
11. If I’m in a situation I can’t control, I have to say – it is not my Issue Battle Business And then I have to let it go!
12. If someone upsets me every time I see them and I have a mood swing every time I see them, it is up to me to completely change the interaction or not see that person at all.
13. Nothing is worth getting sick over–no one is worth a downswing.
14. Suicidal thoughts are normal because I have bipolar disorder. Knowing this helps me know that I need to work to get better instead of trying to figure out why I am having suicidal thoughts.
15. Voices that tell me lies are simply a part of bipolar disorder. I can totally talk back to these voices and tell them to leave me the hell alone.
16. If someone mistreats me, they are creating bipolar symptoms. I tell them to stop or I leave them.
17. Mood swings are normal because I have bipolar disorder, but they are not really acceptable. I have learned to do everything possible to prevent mood swings.
18. Medicines can often have side effects worse than the illness. I have the right and the obligation to search for meds that work for me and I have the right and obligation to supplement western treatments with holistic treatments such as the Health Cards that help me get better so that I can take less meds.
19. Living with bipolar is like being a chameleon- I never know if I am green or brown- well, chameleons live with this and I can too- I have learned to work with the illness.
20. I do not make life decisions when I am ill.
21. I do not make phone calls or send emails to friends when I am paranoid.
22. I know that psych medications can affect my driving. I am careful not to drive when I am on strong meds.
23. I make rules about my behavior and I stick to them, such as I WILL NOT CANCEL APPOINTMENTS.
24. If something makes me uncomfortable, I walk away–and I do not have to apologize or explain myself–I just walk.
25. I do not get involved in ANYTHING that does not directly involve me such as a friend’s relationship problems and I know that when I do get over involved that I may get sick and that I need to work to stay well.
26. No rubber necking. I really do not need to know what happened in an accident on the street or an argument in a restaurant.
27. I often do embarrassing things when I am ill. I accept that this is part of bipolar disorder and I try to learn from my mistakes.
28. I turned off the tv and kept it off until I was well enough to be selective (this took three years). This is one of the absolute best treatments for depression.
29. If people helped me a certain way in the past and it no longer works, it is ok to say- thank you so much for your help, but this is what I need from you right now.
30. I turned my focus from being sick to getting well and now that I am better, I focus on staying well. My management never ends.
31. I take care of my friendships and educate my friends. Bipolar is known to leave a trail of wrecked relationships. I try not to let that happen anymore, but if it does, I learn from it and move on. It hurts and I cry, but I survive.
32. I listen to my inner voice and not the voice of bipolar. Do you know what your inner voice really says? I do- sometimes it’s just a whisper, but it’s the real me.
33. I never, ever, ever give up hope. Bipolar disorder is an illness – not my life. I can and will get better if I manage the illness daily.
2. I know the absolute first signs of a swing and I take action at the beginning.
3. I educate the people in my life about the illness and how they can best help me.
4. I am now able to see who can help and who can’t. I don’t ask for help from the wrong people.
5. I try to accept my limitations.
6. When I am ill – I stop everything and do anything to get better, because I know that I don’t have a real life when I am in the jaws of bipolar disorder.
7. I learn from others, but I try to learn to listen to myself as well. I know what works and what doesn’t.
8. I use the Health Cards Treatment System and I teach everyone I can how to use the Health Cards so that they are ready when I get sick.
9. I now know that making a spur of the moment change is not a solution for bipolar disorder. I have to be happy where I am before I can ever be happy anywhere else.
10. Impetuous decisions are a sign that I am not well.
11. If I’m in a situation I can’t control, I have to say – it is not my Issue Battle Business And then I have to let it go!
12. If someone upsets me every time I see them and I have a mood swing every time I see them, it is up to me to completely change the interaction or not see that person at all.
13. Nothing is worth getting sick over–no one is worth a downswing.
14. Suicidal thoughts are normal because I have bipolar disorder. Knowing this helps me know that I need to work to get better instead of trying to figure out why I am having suicidal thoughts.
15. Voices that tell me lies are simply a part of bipolar disorder. I can totally talk back to these voices and tell them to leave me the hell alone.
16. If someone mistreats me, they are creating bipolar symptoms. I tell them to stop or I leave them.
17. Mood swings are normal because I have bipolar disorder, but they are not really acceptable. I have learned to do everything possible to prevent mood swings.
18. Medicines can often have side effects worse than the illness. I have the right and the obligation to search for meds that work for me and I have the right and obligation to supplement western treatments with holistic treatments such as the Health Cards that help me get better so that I can take less meds.
19. Living with bipolar is like being a chameleon- I never know if I am green or brown- well, chameleons live with this and I can too- I have learned to work with the illness.
20. I do not make life decisions when I am ill.
21. I do not make phone calls or send emails to friends when I am paranoid.
22. I know that psych medications can affect my driving. I am careful not to drive when I am on strong meds.
23. I make rules about my behavior and I stick to them, such as I WILL NOT CANCEL APPOINTMENTS.
24. If something makes me uncomfortable, I walk away–and I do not have to apologize or explain myself–I just walk.
25. I do not get involved in ANYTHING that does not directly involve me such as a friend’s relationship problems and I know that when I do get over involved that I may get sick and that I need to work to stay well.
26. No rubber necking. I really do not need to know what happened in an accident on the street or an argument in a restaurant.
27. I often do embarrassing things when I am ill. I accept that this is part of bipolar disorder and I try to learn from my mistakes.
28. I turned off the tv and kept it off until I was well enough to be selective (this took three years). This is one of the absolute best treatments for depression.
29. If people helped me a certain way in the past and it no longer works, it is ok to say- thank you so much for your help, but this is what I need from you right now.
30. I turned my focus from being sick to getting well and now that I am better, I focus on staying well. My management never ends.
31. I take care of my friendships and educate my friends. Bipolar is known to leave a trail of wrecked relationships. I try not to let that happen anymore, but if it does, I learn from it and move on. It hurts and I cry, but I survive.
32. I listen to my inner voice and not the voice of bipolar. Do you know what your inner voice really says? I do- sometimes it’s just a whisper, but it’s the real me.
33. I never, ever, ever give up hope. Bipolar disorder is an illness – not my life. I can and will get better if I manage the illness daily.
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