[JaiHanaLakshmi]

Hello friends <3 Tis Hana,

So I have been swimming through a lot of these posts, and I have noticed the one thing the average one of us people are looking for (besides specific help, support, and a place to vent) is advice.

Soo... Does anyone have any great advice to bestow upon us fellow people? If you wanna, leave how long you've been struggling, and what your advice is and how it can help someone the way it has helped you.

Thanks dolls. I'll be reading too so I can learn as well and can take all the advice I can get....

[Capriciousness]

Great question

I was dxed a little over 4 yrs ago.

The most important thing for me so what I would say is...

Bipolar is different in everybody and the DSM doesn't even begin to cover it. Don't over analyze everything about you and your life and try to DSM it and compare it etc. Figure out how YOUR bipolar works.

Second. Don't get too caught up in explaining and describing how Bipolar feels to the normals. They can't understand. Understanding is the most helpful thing so....

Number three come HERE

[electricbipolargirl]

Take your meds. Faithfully. I haven't had a major episode over four years.

[teleea]

I have often felt the need to give the advice that medication is okay. It is not a sign of weakness; it is not an admission of defeat.

I attend a support group for mood disorders (mostly bipolar attend). While I have seen some manage their lives med free, over and over again I see people who refuse their medication and are clearly in very rough shape. Some refuse because their family won't allow them, some are afraid of gaining weight (which is a real concern) but most think by taking medication they are somehow giving in.

On more than one ocassion I have encountered a newly diagnosed person attending with a family member in tow. When the topic comes around to medication the family member firmly rejects the notion of it. Some support network that is.

Frankly, I've been off and on medication and I don't know what I'd do without it. Sure I sleep all the time and have gained a lot of weight but the alternative is just not imaginable.

[sprik]

My best advice, take it a day at a time, sometimes a second a at time if needed, if its a bad day, I try to tell myself tomorrow will be better, just make it through today....

Therapy. Do not go on the med merry go round unless you really have to. Do not get a diagnosis until you have had months if not years of observation. Any less than this is unethical. Pdocs hand out meds like lollies and diagnosis like they are your second name. Be SURE before you enter the life of the mentally ill that you are not just reacting to life events that can be figured out with a little therapy and self care.

[Standup2me]

Do not lie to your P.Doc
Tell the honest truth
Take meds on time and as directed
Get enough sleep
Drink 10 glasses of water a day

[BastetsMuse]

I've been diagnosed for twenty years.
The best advice I can offer include these items:
1. Be brutally honest with your pdoc and therapist (they may not be the same person).
2. Take your meds religiously.
3. While taking your meds religiously, research their side effects and communicate any you have to your pdoc to keep yourself safe.
4. Include your significant other in your therapy from time to time, and in critical times - even if you don't allow them access to your records.
5. Understand that "normals" will never really get what it is to be bipolar. Keep explaining anyway, when they ask.
6. Keep loving.
5. Take the disease a day at a time. Keep it separate, as much as you can, from your fundamental self.

[raspberrytorte]

Don't take xanax.

It is evil.

Or, if you do have a panic disorder or something and take it, ONLY take it when you have a panic attack. DON'T start taking it everyday. You will become dependent. You will regret it. You will have withdrawals in between doses that are intolerable.

(This is just my opinion. Xanax and I had a bad breakup. Our relationship didn't end well. Lol!)

[Homeira]

Take your meds, but pay close attention to possible side effects. Cognitive therapy. Breathing exercises. Have your doc check if you are lacking in any vitamins, iron etc. And if you are, take food-supplements religiously.
Listen to music that speaks to you. Look for silver linings. Know that you have an illness, and that not everybody is going to get that. But it is ok, because you are taking care of you, and do not need anyones approval to make choices about your own health. You are the expert on you!

[wiretwister]

set up and keep a strict sleep schedule,, limit caffine,, tons of Vit D,, and if on meds take them everyday on time,, use a seven day pill box to remember.. most importantly ,, love and forgive yourself, your only human...

[Speraia]

I was officially diagnosed 2 or 3 years ago, although my parents were told when I was 7 that there was a possibility of me being bipolar. My advice either comes from my personal experience (medicated, leans towards depressive) or from what I have learned from my aunt (unmedicated, definitely more manic).

1. Always be open and honest about what's happening with you. That way if something is wrong it can be addressed and hopefully fixed.
2. If you're on meds, always remember to take them. Don't skip them, don't drink when taking them.
3. Try to find a way to track your mood that works for you. Keep a journal, download an app, use a chart. This can be extremely helpful and over time when studied can help to identify triggers.
4. Stay involved at appointments. Do some research on meds and come up with questions. It's always good to know about what you're taking.

There's probably a billion more things I could say, but I can't think of them at this very moment. For me these are the main things that help.

[JaiHanaLakshmi]

Originally Posted by teleea

I have often felt the need to give the advice that medication is okay. It is not a sign of weakness; it is not an admission of defeat.

I attend a support group for mood disorders (mostly bipolar attend). While I have seen some manage their lives med free, over and over again I see people who refuse their medication and are clearly in very rough shape. Some refuse because their family won't allow them, some are afraid of gaining weight (which is a real concern) but most think by taking medication they are somehow giving in.

On more than one ocassion I have encountered a newly diagnosed person attending with a family member in tow. When the topic comes around to medication the family member firmly rejects the notion of it. Some support network that is.

Frankly, I've been off and on medication and I don't know what I'd do without it. Sure I sleep all the time and have gained a lot of weight but the alternative is just not imaginable.

Yeah, I think this one is a very good point. Especially for the people that don't even try medication.

It is worth the struggle of finding the happy medium

[JaiHanaLakshmi]

Originally Posted by raspberrytorte

Don't take xanax.

It is evil.

Or, if you do have a panic disorder or something and take it, ONLY take it when you have a panic attack. DON'T start taking it everyday. You will become dependent. You will regret it. You will have withdrawals in between doses that are intolerable.

(This is just my opinion. Xanax and I had a bad breakup. Our relationship didn't end well. Lol!)

thank you for the thoughtful comment

Its always a good thing to share something that could help someone from a bad experience. I know my bf who is a firefighter was telling me how dangerous a lot of these drugs that doctors are just handing out to patients like hydrocodeine, and a lot of these things are what starts drug addictions.

its very important to keep that in mind like you said because that can very quickly spiral out of control :\

[JaiHanaLakshmi]

Originally Posted by wiretwister

set up and keep a strict sleep schedule,, limit caffine,, tons of Vit D,, and if on meds take them everyday on time,, use a seven day pill box to remember.. most importantly ,, love and forgive yourself, your only human...

YES the sleep schedule thing is SO important (as ive just now come to realize) haha

I just got a cute little pill box for myself too from Target and I highly recommend it. :}

Thanks for such good advice

[enjoyyourlife]

For me these things helped me a lot:
Cognititve Therapy+There is no magic pill + exercising a lot combined with meditation and opening to Buddhist spirituality+ Avoiding passivity when depressed

[raspberrytorte]

Okay - serious advice. Get help right away. Don't waste your twenties abusing drugs to self medicate. If you have a depression episode, get help. I should have done that and didn't and squandered about eight years of my life making bad decisions and getting into trouble.

[Nevvy]

If you think you can't do something because you are afraid you can't handle it. Don't do it. The world wont end.

I am still coming to terms with not being able to do what I used to, and I sometimes try and do something I reallllllly can't do anymore....and instantly regret it.

[RisuNeko]

One thing I've found and told my friends is that when I'm depressed it helps me get out of it if people force me to do things and to be social even when I have anhedonia and don't enjoy doing those things. So i tell my friends "please help make me do things" just to break my isolation and unhealthy routine. I've been suffering since 2003 or so but have only been diagnosed since 2012.

That's a good one, RisuNeko, and one that you don't often hear. It's about support network of course, but especially useful in that it is nice and specific. Generalities are often hard to implement. It's concrete.
(I only have one experience of it (I didn't ask, they just did it), but can say I was very touched (after initially protesting, but of course ) and grateful to this day for the gesture.)

I'll echo the use of a pillbox. Be sure to put somewhere you will definitely see it every day. I hadn't dialed that part in very well, and BF suggested bedside, right next to my phone, which has worked very well.

I'd add to all the great advice by saying: try to keep a sense of humor as much as possible. You'll need it.

[~Christina]

Mindfulness ! Best ever coping skill

[Blitter2014]

I have been diagnosed for 15 years.
Some fantastic advice given thus far, all of which I totally agree with. It is amazing just how much you learn over the years, and reading this post has made me realize just how many lessons I have learned. So thank you.

Best Advice?
1.Be ok with having Bipolar. It is not your fault, nor is it a life sentence. It is your 'normal'.
2. Get the best support team you possibly can. Find a Therapist, GP and Pdoc that you are comfortable with and trust.
3. Be absolutely honest with your Pdoc. Don't expect them to read your body language, or to know how you feel, everyone is different, you need to spell it out.
4. Make notes in between visits to your Pdoc. It's too easy to forget one your there.
5. Get plenty of rest. Try to keep to sleep routines and avoid the temptation to stay online at all times of the night no matter how much fun it is.
6. Take your medications religiously.
7. Trust that you know the way you are feeling, but trust your Pdoc that he knows the best medications for you.
8. Don't be afraid to speak up if you do not like your treatment, medications, or the way you are feeling. Take control of your treatment.
9. Seek out people that accept you for you. Better to have no friends than friends that put you down.
10. Remember Bipolar cycles. Tomorrow is a new day.
11. Suicide is a permanent solution to a temporary problem. Don't let your mind go there, and if it does, don't be embarrassed to reach out.
12. Research. The more you can train your mind, the more tools you can learn, the more coping mechanisms you have, the better you can stay in control.
13. Love yourself

[JaiHanaLakshmi]

Originally Posted by ~Christina

Mindfulness ! Best ever coping skill

I am going to highly second this.

This has saved so many things in so many situations for me...

[RisuNeko]

I need to get a pill box. I think I forget doses or accidentally double dose forgetting that I already took my meds.

The list above is very good advice especially acknowledging that bipolar is just your normal.

[Row Jimmy]

Accept who you are.

Whatever works for you is your own solution.

Stay centered and focus on you. For me, centering involves medication, meditation, mindfulness, and simplicity.