You finally accept it and be yourself and live your life the best you can. You don't have to tell people about your diagnosis only when you want to or ready. This is a great place to post stuff and get supported. Welcome to the group:)

Find the meds that do the best job helping you manage your symptoms.

I changed my habits, stopped toking and drinking and that really helped.

Don't tell anyone unless it's necessary. People will hold it against you.

You can find a DBSA group in your area. That can be supportive. We all learn as we go along.

http://www.dbsalliance.org/site/PageServer?pagename=home

Hello, Gideon!

For me the trick is good meds, great therapy, a good support network. Find good doctors both pdoc (psychiatrist) and tdoc (therapist, preferably with a PH.D). Don't short yourself on this. Do your homework. It makes ALL the difference.

And be active either here or somewhere. You'll learn a ton from like-minded folks. Some of us have been on DS for years. So find people you like and buddy up. A lot of us even have phone friends from here.

And then do the best you can with what you know right now. When you know better, you can do better. Keep learning always.

Oh and don't tell people. Like Tommy said, they will hold it against you. It's private and need to know. Few people will fit the criteria for trust on this. I've learned the hard way.

Hope this helps.

I agree with Tommy and SplitScreen. Get on meds and be sure to take them and don't stop them, unless you talk to your Dr. You will have to be on meds the rest of your life if you want to be stable. Therapy helped me learn coping skills and how to get along with people. I don't tell people I have bipolar disorder. Only my immediate family know this and one good friend.

Good luck.

Hi and Welcome Gideon... I'm glad you've found us... This is a great site for support

Accepting it is a great first step... When you accept it you do your best to work with the disorder and not against it

It can take some time to find stability however you will... Work with your doctor(s) and educate yourself... There is a lot of info about the symptoms on Google and many books out on the subject... Big hug...x

Yep what they said! Accept and live with it. Took me a long time but once I did accept it I started to really work on managing my BP because I knew I had to in order to have a good life. So I got a pdoc and a tdoc. I am still working on some med twweks to get my med cocktail correct. But these things along with working out and eating healthier has helped me a lot. Hope you are able to find what works best for you. Hugs

Hi Gideon, I agree with everyone here. Especially telling people who are nearest and dearest to you. I also think it's unfortunate that some people out there have yet to realize that bipolar is what we have and has nothing to do with defining who we are - just my thought. Big welcome to you!

Everybody has good suggestions. It's not always easy, but there are good days and stability is possible. I think the biggest breakthrough for me was finding a psychiatrist who really listens to me and finding the right kind of therapy has helped with my confidence. Support groups are great too!

Welcome aboard.

I agree with the others. Educate yourself and be mindful. Having a good support team is important and as far as telling people I also agree it's on a need to know basis. Many will say they are understanding but when push comes to shove they aren't. In all fairness how can they be when half the time I don't even understand it all!

I find on a day to day basis I try to be mindful and aware of my cycles. I am dx bipolar 1 w/rapid cycling and have had psychosis.

I practice grounding myself and a lot of talking myself through knowing it will pass when it gets difficult.

Everyone has to find what works for them. I too didn't accept the dx for 3 years I was in a state of denial and just complete disconnect. When I accepted it all is when the foot work began and I just take it all minute by minute.

Yesterday is gone and tomorrow isn't here - so I live for today.

Best to you on this journey and I hope you find the support you want and need.

Over the years I have learned to keep a smile on my face automatically. No matter how I feel, when I go out the front door my fake smile takes over. Since I always worked I had to function no matter what. Now I don't even think about it. Once I'm home I can fall apart.
Yeah, I guess you could say there are "tricks". But the best thing is to take your meds no matter what. And if they're not working, tell your pdoc. There are so many types of meds out there that it is possible to feel good and be productive.