Advice For People With Bipolar

This thread can be used to give people advice about things you have noticed help or are important when living with bipolar disorder. Dont be shy - any thoughts you have are welcome. Hopefully this thread will benefit us all - you never know what pearls of wisdom someone else will have

If it takes off I will stickie it

Cracked

When applying for benefits in the UK always make sure you present you on your worst day when filling in forms or at interview. It is not lying but they need to know how bad you can get so dont put on a brave face

Sleep can have a really big effect on mood so make sure you have a good sleep routine if possible

If you get muddled with your meds then getting a medidose container or asking the pharmacy to do it for you can really help - it does not make you 100 years old it just means you are taking responsibility for your health

Remember therapy also helps in BP as well as meds

Remember all meds are different for ppl so you might have a different reaction or side effects to someone else

Play to your strengths - there are things that ppl with BP are good at so bear that in mind when making choices such as career decisions

Try and have a support system in place of ppl who know what is going on - this will make living a lot less exhausting as you wont have to hide yourself away from everyone and will have ppl who understand. You dont have to tell everyone but some ppl knowing is really really useful

Try and keep your sense of humour - it helps

When your mood is in a bad place remember and hold onto the fact that this too shall pass

Know your early warning signs for mania and depression and monitor for them. If you get them see your Dr even if you dont feel you need to



That is all I can think of atm but I will try to think of more

Cracked

"Play to your strengths - there are things that ppl with BP are good at"
That's an interesting one -- can you elaborate?

get 8 hours of sleep
take you meds, even thought you may feel you dont need them
remember you are just as good as anyone else
treat people with respect and expect the same in return
avoid negative people.

oliveira wrote:"Play to your strengths - there are things that ppl with BP are good at"
That's an interesting one -- can you elaborate?

Eg things where you need to be creative is one that a lot of ppl with BP are good at. If you are someone who tends to run hypomanic more then a job that takes into account that eg with a lot of being busy in it might work for you. If you know you tend to get depressed and/or not good with ppl due to mood then perhaps look for a job that reflects this. So for me I am musical and tend to run high so I know that a job where I have a lot to do that is preferably creative would suit me. Of course it is not just in jobs that this is important, knowing your strengths and making the most of them in life in general is useful.

Cracked

Great thread and really helpful for me right now. Thanks x