Hi!

I don't know if there is a thread for this yet. I saw the diet, respect, but thought maybe I'd get this going. If there is already another one lmk!

Anyhow, I've been trying, often unsuccessfully for a long time to manage bipolar without medication. I was diagnosed Bipolar at the age of 35, and I have actually never taken meds, thought hey were prescribed, I've always been afraid of them. I am a musician, artist, and curator, and I really on my creativity, charisma, and flare (hypomania?) to survive! So I've always just been freaked out by the meds. I am BipolarII rapid cycling, so I don't have long debilitating depressions, the extreme highs can be a bit much and peak at anger and confusion, but it's brief, so somehow I make it.

ANYHOW!

Being in the arts I a out at night a lot, have a hard time with sleep, and can drink and party endlessly if I want to basically anytime, but this year I've NOT BEEN DOING THAT! Finally!

At first it was just boring and hard, then I felt a lot better, but I became really depressed, for longer than I've ever been depressed for one straight show, maybe three weeks? So finally I listened to the audio book edition of the book med free bipolar. And I've started doing a big chunk of what's in there, and man, I feel AMAZING! More than ever before, I feel like I am healing from bipolar, I honestly can't say I remember ever feeling this good.

So!

I thought maybe there were other people on here doing stuff that is working and we could chat?

My thing is a combination of diet (pretty extreme and elaborate), exercise, mediation, sleep (trying), and trying to manage my mind by managing my space and time more deliberately. No therapy or group, but I would LOVE that!

Anyhow, I was walking today, and I realized that I haven't felt good in so long, and maybe I can feel good. I'm happy about the future, and sad about how long I've been feeling so bad. But mainly I'm happy for me and for everyone around me.

Let me know if you think of anything.
S