Bipolar disorder, also known as manic depression, affects millions of Americans. Individuals can benefit from taking an active role in their treatment. This includes: self care, exercise, and coordination with a support team(doctors, therapists). There are 5 steps that can contribute to the overall wellness of managing the condition.
1. Learn More: Understanding bipolar disorder is the first step, and information can be found online or provided by health care provider.
2. Get Support and Understanding: During manic phase you may be unaware of how your actions are affecting others. Once out of mania blame and self-doubt occur. It is important to find an understanding network of people through support groups, family, and mental health professionals.
3. Manage Own Condition: Self-care also incorporates the skills to recognize mood patterns before they fully manifest. There are various tools to help recognize the moods such as checklists and mood diaries which can be provided by your counselors or found online.
4. Get a Routine in Your Daily Life: Routine is important as well as good diet, adequate sleep, vitamins, and complimentary therapies.
5. Keep Life Work at Bay: It is important to take things slowly and avoid stressful situations and realize there is more to life than paying bills.
Recovery~
