Tips for Coping with Bipolar Disorder

People with Bipolar Disorder never have a “normal” day. You may even be on disability because you cannot function in a 9 – 5 job like most of the general population does. In fact Bipolar Disorder is the sixth leading cause of disability in the world. Thankfully there is a lot that someone with Bipolar Disorder can do to cope and maybe gain a little bit of higher functioning. Since I have first-hand experience in this I have ten hints or coping skills to get you through this with your sanity intact.

First is the most controversial of them all, medication. 70% of the time you can be helped by the right medication. You may not like the idea of taking a bunch of pills, or you may feel that you are better off without medication. These are understandable reasons, but medication may end up being that lifeline you need when the ship is sinking.

This leads me into the second hint, find the right doctor. Find a doctor who listens and talks as well. You want someone you will be comfortable enough to talk to. You also need a therapist. They will come in extremely important as you try to cope.

You really need to know your disease. Research it and read about it and ask other people about it. Become an expert.

Seek out some support. It is important that you can talk to others that understand you because they also have Bipolar Disorder.

It is important to lead as healthy of a lifestyle as possible. That means sometimes battling other issues such as addiction. It is true that there is a mind and body connection. Taking care of yourself will also help you battle the physical issues that go along with Bipolar Disorder such as sleeping problems and headaches.

Keep a schedule. This is hard for anyone to do whether or not they suffer from Bipolar Disorder or not, but is more important for us. This will help in all areas of your life, especially relationships with others.

You must care for your personal relationships. This is important for both of you. Be patient, they probably don’t understand like someone else with Bipolar Disorder might. Keep communication open so that they know what is going on with you and your symptoms.

Relaxation techniques will help anybody, but if you have been up for three days then they will come in very handy. It’s helpful in many situations such as deep breathing when your anger takes hold. Maybe going and lying down in a cool dark room would help too. There are many others that you can Google as well.

One thing about the healthy lifestyle that I needed to highlight was sleep. Symptoms tend to seem much worse when you haven’t had enough sleep. Personal relations are also helped if you aren’t crabby and walking around like a zombie.

Last is to try to create a budget. Now the trick is that you have to stick to the budget. This may be difficult for people without Bipolar Disorder, but when you get manic it will be difficult. This coping skill will improve your personal relationships because money is such a stressful subject.

Maintaining stability is not always easy, but it will help your symptoms. Maybe being “normal” is more than just a dream out of reach.


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