I think in terms of this ...

Most people aren't treated or diagnosed Bipolar until a Crisis of some sorts happens. So prior to that Crisis how was your life ? Did you have ups and downs? Or maybe your white knuckled life like I did. I never thought I could have Bipolar I thought everyone had a racing mind and ridiculous mood swings. I was diagnosed at age 44 , yeah shocked me.

So I get handed med combo after med combo , pissy side effects and all the unknown about Bipolar had me a bloody mess on all levels.

I started reading everything I could find on Bipolar. Saw my T weekly, used up way too many to count boxes of tissues . I kept searching for info, I stumbled across PC and I lurked for months, reading. I finally joined and posting a bit here and there... within a few weeks I met some of the most amazing people. I am lucky to have them as friends. So the unwavering support was and is huge for me.

I slowly started adding all the tips and ideas I read on here along with the things I learned in therapy . Slowly things were improving , yes slowly.

I have ups and downs like everyone on the planet Bipolar or not. I have a tool box over flowing with coping skills, breathing exercises, self grounding, oh the list goes on .. Some days I need one or two, some days I need the whole damn thing to keep going. But I have knowledge and support . So my good days far outweight the bad now. Many people think they will always suffer horrible moods swings and they have no control, I disagree .... I personally think its possible to decrease the amount or severity of mine by using all the skills I have learned .

If your on meds and not happy with them by all means talk to your Pdoc .. You have to be your own avocate. My Pdoc loves the fact that I research the hell out of medications and him and I both agree on what meds I would try or continue.

One thing I did have to do what change the way I thought about Bipolar and how it effects my life.. I was very negative about myself so it made my symptoms much worse.

I hope you can find ways to feel better