Structure or no structure?

Hello all.

I've had two conflicting views pressed upon me by therapists, doctors and books.

One of them says that bipolars need nothing more than structure. A 9-to-5 job would be best. Sleeping at the same time, working at the same time, etc. -- you get it.

One of them says that bipolars thrive when there is no pressure. Structure creates inevitable stress -- "I have to finish this before 5". But for someone who gets randomly depressed or manic, especially for rapid cyclers like myself, structure is a source of stress by itself. I have no idea if I will even be out of bed tomorrow at 9. Perhaps yes, perhaps no. So maybe it's better to have no structure?

What did you find works best for you? (I won't hide I mostly ask from professional point of view as I am still struggling with the question of how to go back to work, but I am also curious how structure or lack of it works for you in all other aspects of life.)

I got to have structure in my home life and at work it helps. But at work i can work on many high stress projects at once. Its like my mind at works works better having many things to do. But at home i need to structure more than anywere else.

I'm the opposite. My moods march to a drum of their own, and I found that battling them to keep a schedule is exhausting and soul-destroying. If I am forced to work when I can't, my productivity will be virtually zero. Also, I get staggeringly painful incapacitating migraines that go on for days and further complicate things.

I don't keep track of the time. I go to bed when it's dark; I get up when it's light. I eat when I'm hungry, I read when I'm bored. I get stuff done when the right mood comes around again.

Having a schedule is only useful when you're coordinating your activities with others, so I don't see its value in my personal life.

Hmm... Good question.
I'm going to sit on the fence and say, "Some structure, and some freedom."

Right now I could use a little more structure in my life. My big commitment is volunteering to drive cancer patients to their radiation treatments and chemotherapy. It gets me out of bed. Having something I need to do everyday would get me up every day.

Because I have little else than my volunteering, I find I'm sleeping a lot. I can sleep 20 hours per day, no problem. As far as the structure goes, I need somebody to depend on me. Otherwise I just sleep in. If I say when I go to bed, "Tomorrow I'll have a bike ride, or go to the gym," it just won't happen.

If, on the other hand, it is, "Tomorrow I'm going on a bike ride with Theresa," it happens.

I definitely require structure or I flounder and my extremes take over. Too much downtime can feed my depression or my highs (mostly depression). Structure makes me feel safer. I have less anxiety.

Interesting topic, Oliveira

I think structure is very important. Without structure, one day blends into the next, the weekend means nothing, its very easy to fall into depression. Leaving the house at a set time every day makes one fall into a state of action, attention, flow, rather than that stagnant feeling of waking up late, oozing out of bed, then deciding to climb back in as you can't think of anything to do with your day.

I know from experience that its very different to structure your time if you're not working, but it is possible. Is there any volunteer work you could do?

I don't understand this obsession with structure. It seems pointless to me, and forcing a structure on me actually makes me more depressed and guilty as the schedule inevitably falls apart once again.

In the end, I just stopped trying to live life by the clock, and I felt a lot better right away. I guess I'm just wired up like that. I don't pay attention to what day of the week it is. Stuff gets done when it gets done.

At this point, I can't reliably handle commitments because I can't predict what state I will be in over any long period of time. So they are just a source of stress and worry for me, and eventually guilt and shame.

It takes all kinds

darkroses wrote:I know from experience that its very different to structure your time if you're not working, but it is possible. Is there any volunteer work you could do?

I do volunteer work. Not just moderating here because that's as unstructured as can be, but also I work two days a week with my hands, getting dirty like a proper blue collar worker. But even though I enjoy that an awful lot, I still find myself calling in at 8:30 and saying "I am sorry but can't come today". :/

In a way I am convinced I could work half-time. It's just I don't know which half, because it changes from week to week.

Yeah me too. I would like to do volunteer work, but I wouldn't be very useful if I am only available at random times. I can do IT stuff which would normally cost $150 an hour from a consultant.

I find that structure isn't a cure-all, but it certainly helps. I'm in college and I can't do the stress of a full course load, but taking a few classes is helping just because it's something to do and gives me an opportunity to set some goals for myself.