[DrewStar]

Just signed up for this...searching information.

From most observations I'm bi-polar 2. Hypomania..big problem...have distroyed a lot of stuff in the past due to tough situations with this disorder.

One thing that helps me in other aspects of life when i don't know what to do is to simply stuff finding axioms(stuff that is true even when nothing else is)...

My axioms to help me when i get lost during bi-polar are:
1. Maintain your medicine schedule.
2. I got this one tonight...Maintain a daily long term schedule for
sleeping, waking, eating, and exercise.

I take depicote and have been very happy with it...makes me a little chubby but the tradeoff is pretty cool(long term stabililty).

You folks got any axioms for me?

[amaviena]

3. use positive self affirmations.
4. reduce stressful situations.
5. maintain personal hygeine

[thinker22]

Welcome. Hi.

Not sure if I have any axioms. Some thoughts that get me through:

-My moods will always change, but my value as a human being does not. Any living being's value doesn't change regardless of its brain chemistry.

-Listen to your doctors, but make sure they are listening to you. If they aren't, let them know what you need them to hear and understand.

-Go to the hospital if you really need to, don't be ashamed (like I am..and sorry for those I've offended by my offhand comments about what I think of the hospital) if you feel you are a danger to yourself or others.

-Learn all you can about the disease and treat it as such, something serious that needs to be managed long term, and educate those closest to you or at least encourage them to learn more about bipolar if that feels more comfortable to you.

-Shut out negative influences like people who proclaim that therapy is b.s. or have "bootstrap" philosophies, or positive thinking as being the only treatment for this serious medical condition. Would they say that to someone with diabetes or heart disease? Visualize your arteries unclogged and they will be so? Bipolar is actually just as fatal as the above if not more so when untreated.

-Try to minimize your caffeine and alcohol intake (still working on that myself).

-If you can't get out of bed, don't chastise yourself. It's better to sleep than to do something destructive. This is also how I cool off when angry or after having an emotional outburst.

-Keep a journal about your feelings and moods, if possible write in it every day. This will help you track your progress and find patterns (if there are any) in why you might be triggered and what made it a good and/or a bad day.

-Last one, and I'm sure you've come across most of the above and this one too, try to recognize that people aren't either for you or against you, the world isn't divided into black or white, right or wrong. There is always a third option.

[amaviena]

or forth or fifth or sixth...

[jattitude]

remember you are only human, even though sometimes you feel like a monster.

[DrewStar]

Thanks for help...

Will try to maintain tooth brushing etc better

thanks for the help!