{"id":7574,"date":"2018-03-22T09:00:00","date_gmt":"2018-03-22T14:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/unitedresourceconnection.org\/goodyear-village-az-cdp\/6-tips-for-effectively-managing-your-bipolar-disorder-from-pill-trays-to-practitioners\/"},"modified":"2018-06-27T12:24:58","modified_gmt":"2018-06-27T17:24:58","slug":"6-tips-for-effectively-managing-your-bipolar-disorder-from-pill-trays-to-practitioners","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/unitedresourceconnection.org\/goodyear-village-az-cdp\/6-tips-for-effectively-managing-your-bipolar-disorder-from-pill-trays-to-practitioners\/","title":{"rendered":"6 Tips for Effectively Managing Your Bipolar Disorder \u2014 From Pill Trays to Practitioners"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"<\/a>Bipolar disorder is a difficult illness. It affects everything. In addition to affecting your mood, it affects your judgment, concentration, memory, energy and sleep. It affects your relationships. It affects your everyday. It can bring about a deep, sinking despair, or jolt you into a euphoric state where your brain literally can\u2019t compute the consequences of your actions. Some people experience depressive and manic symptoms at the same time\u2014darkness, distorted thoughts and fatigue followed by restlessness, racing thoughts and irritability.<\/p>\n

It can feel so overwhelming.<\/p>\n

However, this doesn\u2019t mean you\u2019re doomed to an unhealthy or unfulfilling life. The key lies in effectively managing your illness, which involves various parts and pieces, such as: finding a support team, which includes a psychiatrist and therapist; consistently taking your medication; getting enough sleep; participating in physical activities; minimizing stress\u2014and getting educated.<\/p>\n

You\u2019ll find help with all of these components in the fantastic, comprehensive, insightful, easy-to-read book Two Bipolar Chicks Guide to Survival: Tips for Living with Bipolar Disorder<\/a><\/em>, written by Wendy K. Williamson and Honora Rose. Williamson was diagnosed with bipolar disorder eight weeks before her college graduation when she had her first manic episode. Rose was diagnosed at 35 years old, after the birth of her second child and after suffering for 20 years without any treatment.<\/p>\n

In their book, Williamson and Rose share a slew of terrific, practical strategies and suggestions along with their powerful personal stories. It\u2019s a must-read for anyone who has bipolar disorder or has a loved one who does. Below is a selection of tips to help you manage your illness.
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\nBe persistent about finding excellent providers.<\/strong> Williamson<\/a> went through four psychiatrists before finding her doctor. These included a psychiatrist who ate during their sessions and wore a mink coat because the office was so cold (and so was she); another who examined her nails and read her journals; and a third who said at every session that she was depressed because of her weight.<\/p>\n

Finding the right practitioners for you isn\u2019t easy, and it can get expensive. It\u2019s also a vulnerable process to keep sharing your story. You might get so frustrated and exhausted that you want to stop.<\/p>\n

The key is to keep trying. Today, Williamson and Rose have amazing psychiatrists. Williamson\u2019s psychiatrist, who she found after asking around, is a \u201cmedication wizard and it is money well spent on my mental health.\u201d She doesn\u2019t go monthly and the 15-minute appointments make it affordable. \u201cI figure if I were going to a few doctors and paying their copays each month, it would equal one payment to my psychiatrist every few months.\u201d<\/p>\n

In addition to working with a psychiatrist, it\u2019s important to find a therapist who specializes in bipolar disorder. According to Williamson, if you realize you aren\u2019t getting anywhere or you don\u2019t \u201cgel\u201d with them, it\u2019s time to find someone else. Ask around for referrals, and interview potential practitioners about their experience, background and client base.
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\nSee your doctor at the earliest sign of symptoms.<\/strong> As soon as you find yourself feeling racy or becoming depressed, make an appointment with your psychiatrist. You might need a medication adjustment\u2014sometimes due to stress or seasonal changes (during the wintertime, it\u2019s common to experience depression, while the spring often triggers mania). In the spring, when Williamson\u2019s manic symptoms start, her doctor increases her nighttime dose of two medications. In the fall, he decreases these same meds, and increases her antidepressant.<\/p>\n

When making your appointment, be very specific. Instead of telling the secretary \u201cI need to make an appointment,\u201d Williamson and Rose suggest saying, \u201cI\u2019m crashing hard, what\u2019s your first available appointment? I\u2019ll take anything!\u201d
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\nGet a good pill tray. <\/strong>Medication is the mainstay of bipolar disorder treatment. But it can be hard to remember to take your pills\u2014and to remember if you\u2019ve taken them. Which is why Williamson and Rose stress the importance of having a pill tray. They suggest getting a pill case that locks with the same number of compartments as your dose frequency (along with keeping your pill bottles in one Ziploc, so they\u2019re easily accessible).<\/p>\n

To find a good case, the authors recommend the website ForgettingthePill.com<\/a>. You\u2019ll also find beautiful pillboxes at Schizophrenic.NYC<\/a>, which are designed by Michelle Hammer, who co-hosts the Psych Central weekly podcast \u201cA\u00a0Bipolar, a Schizophrenic, and a Podcast<\/a>.\u201d<\/p>\n

Set alarms on your phone to remind you when to take your medication, and always carry your pillbox with you. Appointments and meetings run long. Unexpected tasks and errands pop up. There\u2019s also traffic and accidents. And, before you know it, you aren\u2019t home to take your medication.<\/p>\n

Prioritize sleep. <\/strong>According to Williamson and Rose, \u201csleep is the other half of our medication.\u201d It\u2019s that vital. In fact, sometimes, when you experience mood swings, it isn\u2019t an issue with your medication; it\u2019s because of poor sleep. Lack of sleep can trigger everything from mania to anxiety to difficulty concentrating.<\/p>\n

The authors suggest trying these tips to wind down before bed: After dinner, turn off some of the lights in your home; put on your comfortable clothes or pajamas early; keep your TV out of the bedroom; try reading yourself to sleep; set a time to go into your bedroom, and stick to it; use a noise machine; and consider blackout curtains. Experiment with different strategies to find what works best for you.<\/p>\n

Put on your \u201cbipolar glasses.\u201d<\/strong> Before making any decision\u2014about your job, sleep, relationships or living situation\u2014Williamson and Rose emphasize using your \u201cbipolar glasses.\u201d In other words, think about how something will affect your health. \u201cBefore you take the job or jump into the relationship, ask yourself, is this a wise choice? Or, can I handle the stress of this job?\u201d or \u201cIs this relationship a positive or negative influence on my mental illness? Is this job, situation, etc., worthy my mental health?\u201d<\/p>\n

Find what inspires you.<\/strong> Find what connects you to yourself. Find what brings you joy. This might be anything from painting to photography, from writing to woodworking. It might be a pastime or something you turn into your prime profession. Rose started out as a stock broker, and now is a writer and editor. Williamson is now a writer, too. They both founded The Red Bank Writer\u2019s Group<\/em>. In the past, while working at a boring 9 to 5, Williamson took a weekly 2-hour pottery class that she loved. You are more than your illness. Find activities that help you express and connect to the different facets of your personality and identity.<\/p>\n

Managing bipolar disorder takes energy and effort, which is why having support, systems and strategies in place is so important. There may be times that you feel incredibly hopeless. This is the nature of the illness. Make sure you\u2019re honest about how you\u2019re feeling with your providers and loved ones.<\/p>\n

\u201cI am grateful my suicide attempts failed, and I\u2019m alive,\u201d Williamson writes. \u201cNow I\u2019m living my dreams, working full-time as a writer. Who knew life could be so good when ten years ago all I wanted was out? It\u2019s that light that my family and friends have to remind me of when I can\u2019t see it. It\u2019s there. And it will warm me up again like it has before.\u201d<\/p>\n

Find your own light, and surround yourself with people who can remind you when you forget.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

<\/span><\/div>

Visit Original Source<\/a><\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Bipolar disorder is a difficult illness. It affects everything. In addition to affecting your mood, it affects your judgment, concentration, memory, energy and sleep. It affects your relationships. It affects your everyday. It can bring about a deep, sinking despair, or jolt you into a euphoric state where your brain <\/p>\n

Read More<\/a>
Shared by Margarita Tartakovsky, M.S., Contributing Blogger<\/a> March 22, 2018<\/p>\n

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