Articles and blog posts relating to the wide variety of bipolar disorder treatment options- including hospitalization, pets, and mindfulness.
What are you afraid of? What are your limitations? What have you overcome? What makes you powerful? In short: Do you own your story? I am in the process of owning mine. Here is how I’ve made progress so far. “Owning our story can be hard but not nearly as difficult as spending our lives...
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Experiencing an episode with “mixed features” can be especially confusing. You might ask yourself, “Am I up? Or am I down?” And, sometimes, the answer is, well … BOTH. Doctors can classify particular bipolar episodes as having “mixed-features” (the jargon is “Mixed Features Specifier,” or MFS, for short). The qualifications for this distinction are to...
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Life can be hard sometimes—we don’t need to make it even harder for ourselves. But sometimes we do just that! Fortunately, self-sabotage is a behavior we can take on together. We all have behaviors that hold us back—some of which even sabotage us. This series is about taking on behaviors that don’t serve us, and...
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If you lose yourself in obsessive thought spirals or cycles, you are not alone. I have come a long way with managing my obsessive thoughts. Here is my process for dealing with those thoughts that won’t go away. I have found that bipolar disorder and OCD (obsessive compulsive disorder) often go hand-in-hand. What Is OCD?...
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Do you tremble when it’s your turn to talk? Do you avoid public speaking at all costs? And do you feel like that fear is holding you back? I sure did. Here I share my story of leaving my comfort zone and finding my voice. Sometimes, when we speak, we aren’t communicating effectively. Furthermore, if...
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Developing strategies for dialing back impulsive urges will lead to more stability and healthier choices. Some ideas: #1 Find a lifeguard That’s what Elaina, a Vancouver counselor with bipolar disorder, calls someone who can work collaboratively with you to develop a maintenance plan for day-to-day stability and wellness—and be upfront when red flags arise. Preparation...
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We hear the people around us, but do we really listen? Developing effective listening skills boosts our relationships and wellbeing—and maintains our personal power. The goal of this series, Taking Yourself On, is to find success in making positive change. When we are taking on our flaws, it is just as important that we cultivate...
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It is critical that you and your loved ones craft a safety plan when you are well to protect you when you are not. When I am stable, my thinking is clear and the thought of creating a safety plan seems juvenile and unnecessary. However, in the depths of a depressive or manic episode, a...
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I have changed. My management ability has changed. I am alive and often have great happiness in my life. It’s a fight for me. A fight I will win. “Well, that’s just how it is.” My mind said this to me as I sat down and worked this morning. I’ve not been able to just...
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Everyone finds it hard to lose weight, let alone maintain that loss over long periods of time. But living with a serious psychiatric condition like bipolar adds an unwelcome layer of complexity to weight management. Which is why you need tips tailored to help you manage weight AND bipolar simultaneously. Here are four: There’s no...
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Relapse is a normal part of everyone’s treatment journeys, but its effects don’t have to be devastating. It is possible to lessen the negative impacts of relapse by having proactive strategies in place to make sure you stay safe. Here are four, recommended by some of the top researchers in the field : #1 Take...
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Nervousness is our default reaction when we are out of our comfort zone or feel disempowered. To combat it, focus on building your self-confidence We all get nervous. In this big world, more falls out of our comfort zone than in it. When we are nervous, it’s really because of a lack of confidence and...
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I’ve been on a 38-plus year journey with bipolar that has been fraught with obstacles and incredible triumphs. But in the end, I learned what worked for me. I was speaking with a friend a few weeks ago, who like myself, has bipolar disorder. She shared that she had stopped taking her medication. Part of...
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Perfectionism compares ourselves against high standards that we are certain not to live up to––which only degrades our self-worth. So it’s about time we ditched perfectionism for good! Perfectionism comes with the expectation that we are flawless––but perfectionism itself is a flaw. Authenticity, however, is ‘perfect’. Being yourself takes a level of acceptance that we...
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Tough decisions are challenging for anyone, let alone someone with bipolar disorder. But, rest easy––here are tips to help you through. Making decisions can be challenging for anyone, let alone someone with bipolar disorder. Specifically, it is extremely important to make the best decisions for your mental health needs. I’ve had a few instances where...
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Patience is an underutilized and undervalued positive coping skill. So it’s about time we made time to teach ourselves a little patience. Patience is an underutilized and undervalued positive coping skill. When we don’t have enough, we end up in a slew of negative ineffective coping skills like frustration, impatience, annoyance, irritation, anger, etc. And...
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Leading expert on mood disorders Kay Redfield Jamison, PhD, is a professor of psychiatry at Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine is a best-selling author and lectures widely on the topic of bipolar disorder. Here are her top six strategies as told to bp Magazine: #1 Stay on your medication. Jamison says medication regimen is one...
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Though the symptoms may differ, as do specific personal struggles, just knowing we are all in this together can be a source of true strength. Living with bipolar disorder can require an exhausting amount of time explaining and adjusting and apologizing. Sometimes all it takes to relieve a bit of the pressure is to hear...
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Eating more unprocessed food is a good way to improve your overall diet, but proponents say it can also do great things for your mental health. For years, Carol’s diet revolved around a single ingredient: refined sugar. “Whenever I felt anxious or depressed from my bipolar, I reached for candy bars, desserts, baked goods—anything that...
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Weight gain is an incredibly common––but mentally devastating––result of many bipolar medications. One thing to remember if it happens to you: be kind to yourself. I would do anything to be skinny – anything, that is, except for dying or losing my mind. Unfortunately, in 2014 I had to choose between thinness and sanity. Faced...
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