How to live well with bipolar disorder?

Looking back, I have had bipolar disorder for over ten years. During this period, I checked the information and literature on the Internet and found that it was either difficult and obscure, or simple and crude, and even a lot of the information was an exaggeration of negative emotions among patients. So I decided to write about some good ways to deal with bipolar disorder that I have learned over the years.

1. Regular life

? I believe it is not exaggerated to emphasize the benefits of regular life in the treatment of bipolar disorder ten times. Go to bed early and get up early, eat on time and exercise moderately. It sounds simple, but if it is actually done, it will have at least half of the therapeutic effect. Every time I wake up from a good night's sleep, I feel like the world is a better place. Of course, I also understand that it is indeed difficult to do this when the condition is more serious. Please persist and constantly adjust your life and rest in a healthy direction. This is the first step to control the condition. It was also the crucial first step that I discovered after taking many detours.

2. Keep exercising

? Personally, I think there are different considerations in different periods when it comes to sticking to exercise. During the time when I was very ill, I even disliked exercise. Yes, because fighting the disease has taken up too much time and energy, and I can't even care about other things. Looking back later, I found that it was a good time to do some simple stretching exercises. The most important thing is to make sure to move first. Moving can promote the secretion of dopamine, which means that no matter how bad the day is, the mood can be relatively less bad. . Later, when I recovered relatively well, I formulated an exercise plan for myself that is relatively easy to implement at this stage. During the implementation process, it was found that it is very useful for the recovery and reconstruction of self-confidence, and for restoring body functions to cope with illnesses and side effects of medicines. Regular exercise will also produce a kind of perseverance, which will permeate every aspect of our lives and become the absolute force that supports us to fight against diseases and cope with life.

3. Keep your emotions stable

I believe I don’t need to say anything more about this. Anyone who has suffered from bipolar disorder will understand how devastating mood swings can be to their lives. During the period when I was most seriously ill, I personally cut off contact with all my relatives and friends. In my feelings, I personally cut off the ties with them. The pain was so profound that I can still remember it now. I felt the despair and helplessness at that time. When everyone around you leaves you, only death is left in your mind, which is the final and seemingly best choice. All of this is just a sweet trap brought by bipolar disorder, which will constantly tell you that death is the solution to all problems. way, death can bring relief. We are living with too much heavy emotional baggage from the past. What we need is not death, but the need to lighten the burden on ourselves. We are just sick and need to rest. Therefore, it is important to stay away from or block out all the people and things that make us emotionally unstable in daily life. When lives are threatened, will those things that once seemed important still be the most important?

4. Reduce uncertain factors in life

? Marriage, divorce, childbirth, moving, job transfer, travel, these are all uncertain factors in life, and they will all be obvious. affect the condition. It needs to be handled as properly as possible. But what I’m talking about is the small uncertainties in life that are easily overlooked, such as a midnight movie premiere, an alcoholic party with friends, too much caffeine, a spur-of-the-moment strenuous exercise, A study plan that is not suitable for the current physical condition. You also need to carefully observe your own reactions to gradually find out the most suitable way of life for you. A manic-depressive life is destined to have nothing to do with one's own desires.

5. Drink less stimulating drinks? Eat less desserts

? Stimulating drinks refer to drinks containing alcohol and caffeine. Nowadays, many people like to drink milk tea and coffee, and I also like them. But I have done a comparison on myself and found that not consuming caffeine at all is the best for me, followed by a small amount of caffeine. Excessive caffeine intake is very bad for my condition and can easily lead to irritability. . I am a hypomanic and severely depressed type, and these factors will be more harmful to severe bipolar and severe depression. My psychiatrist also clearly told me that people with bipolar disorder are prone to becoming addicted to desserts, and advised me to eat less desserts. Desserts are detrimental to the stability of my mood and condition.

6. Don’t change your schedule frequently

? For people with serious illness, this is the most difficult thing to do. As long as you try your best to ensure this, it will be of great benefit to the recovery of the condition. I occasionally enjoy the happiness brought by rapid thinking, but it is stupid to use these so-called "good ideas" to face real life. Real life requires good ideas, but it also requires long-term persistence in practical actions.

7. Don’t change your daily habits at will

? This may not matter to ordinary people, but it is fatal to patients with bipolar disorder. Go to bed early and get up early today, go to bed late and get up late tomorrow. Eat three meals today and two meals tomorrow. No exercise today, vigorous exercise tomorrow. Maintaining a relatively consistent living habit will be better for the stability of the disease and normal daily life, and will also allow us to live more realistically.

8. Menstrual Syndrome

For girls, the period before and after menstruation is the period when the condition fluctuates the most. All the symptoms before my period would make me more manic. The emotions at this time will be doubly exaggerated. Be sure to pay attention to your emotional and physical conditions at this time, otherwise the condition may recur. Physical weakness after menstruation may also make us depressed, so we must maintain a steady rhythm to spend this period. In fact, it means paying more attention to the subtle changes in your body than ordinary people and making better adjustments.

9. Disperse sources of stimulation

Try not to carry out any major changes or plans intensively within a period of time. During the restless period, there will be many new arrangements and plans. I will let myself calm down for a while and then filter out the feasible things to do. When you are manic, you should slightly suppress your impulses and thoughts, and when you are depressed, let yourself take a good rest and relax. This is the most correct way for us to love ourselves. Keeping journals is also a way of coping for me, and it seems worth persisting for now.

Our ultimate goal is to live a stable and normal life and try our best to reach the height of life we ??want. Instead of sprinting a 100-meter race, there are only aftertaste after victory.