Just schedule it in life bumps along very quickly and these important things end up getting pushed off the to do list....

I find using a soap I love entices me into the shower. I hate washing my hair even though I shower every night but wash my hair once a week. A fresh pair of clean pajamas also helps.

I too struggle with brushing my teeth so I have no advice for you on that.

Why do you feel guilty if for taking care of yourself?
I hope you can come to enjoy taking care of yourself...

This is very common symptom of your bipolar depression and strongly indicates that you are still experiencing a lot of instability and your treatment/meds should be adjusted accordingly. If your treatment was working well, you should not be feeling this way.

When we continue to have strong and chronic bouts of bipolar depression and/or mania, it means we are still in the process of trying to figure out what are the right mix (or single if we're lucky) medications to get us stable again. We can still probably expect to have some ups and downs, but those should not really be too high or too low. Nor should they last for very long. Days rather than weeks or months. That's why we take the meds, right? To smooth things out and provide stability in our lives.

Not having the energy and/or motivation for basic self-care is a pretty serious symptom to still be having. Although I personally am much more prone to mania than depression, I also can have this symptom when I get really, really depressed. It often takes me a few days to realize why I'm feeling that way and as soon as I adjust my meds accordingly, I snap right out of it. Others may or may not be fortunate enough to respond to meds so quickly, but improving our self-awareness is absolutely key to improving our treatment.

I really wish our doctors and counselors gave us all a basic course in being self-aware of our bipolar depression and mania symptoms and how to spot those as quickly as possible.

Hey DistortedOne! Not going to lie, your comment was pretty discouraging to read but it’s very true. I’m trying to get on the right meds and get everything straight. And I do feel a million times better than I used to without meds, I am just trying to do the best I can as of right now while I get everything figured out. It’s not that I can’t bring myself to take care of myself. It’s just that it’s annoying an mundane to me so I struggle with wanting to do, I still do, but I struggle. Idk if that makes any sense. But I am okay and I am getting everything figured out. Thank you for your comment and for making some things more clear to me. :)

moonk2021, first, I apologize if my words were discouraging in any way at all. I did not realize they could be taken that way and I never want to come across negatively in any way. I'm here to try and help others like me so we all can have better lives which is really possible if we just keep working at it. I was hoping to provide some good info so you could hopefully adjust your treatment more quickly and get better sooner rather than later. Again, let me apologize if that did not come across that way. I'm so, so sorry.

I totally get what you're trying to say. You described exactly how I feel about so many things. I have a million house projects and other things I need to do and get done and out of the way, I just generally have zero motivation. I get one or two done every so often, but I just can't keep up a good pace so it all just piles up. I can literally stare at something I need to fix but I just feel so "blah" about doing it. I keep waiting for some good hypomania to kick in so I can get my butt moving, but since my Oxcarbazepine is working so well, I can't get back to that place.

I do want to mention, though, that about 3 weeks ago I switched my RLS med from Pramipexole (Mirapex) to Ropinirole (Requip) and that has made an unexpected and unbelievable difference in my motivation and my mood overall. It appears that the Prami was really messing with me in a lot of ways. After taking it for over 10 years, I recently realized it was making me manic while it was in my system and just a slight increase in dosage was doing big, bad things to me. As self-aware as I think I am, I still didn't realize I was having these short-lived manic episodes which I assumed were just part of my bad temper (runs in my family unfortunately).

But now my mood is soooooo much better, like I've been near hypomanic (happily) for a few weeks now, with lots of energy and tons of motivation again, while actually sleeping better at night. I take my RLS med at night, and literally the next morning after the switch I told my wife that I felt "at peace inside" like I haven't felt in many, many years. The difference is just amazing. And Ropinirole acts very similarly to Prami so this switch making such a difference is a huge, and very welcomed surprise.

I just mention this because how you describe your motivation is so much like how I was feeling just a month ago about all that stuff I need to do, and just everyday things as well. So I don't know if this applies to you at all, but the lesson here I guess is it's good for all of us to be aware of everything we're taking for all of our ailments. There could be something hiding in there that might be holding back our progress in ways we never thought. Heck, I have mentioned the Prami to all my docs over the years and, despite it being clearly a dopamine agonist (dopamine = motivation and reward system - HELLO!) not one of my docs or counselors thought anything of it.

Anyway, sorry for going on and on again. I'm anything but succinct and when I'm in a great mood like this, I ramble on even more. I also type really fast so it doesn't take long for me to write novels like this. (See - now I'm rambling again.)

Big hug for you Moon.... It's great that you're working with your pdoc to find the right med (s)

Do the best that you can and it's great if you are pushing through... Maybe focus on the prize.... Even though it may be a chore to jump into the shower it always feels great once you have one and I agree if you can use nice soaps and lotion to pamper you a bit

You will get to the other side of this... Please don't lose sight of that.... xo

Hi Moon! I find it mundane as well. The best I can do is try daily, and I give myself one skip day a week (but I don't always use it). It helps that I live with another person who definitely deserves self care things, and if she does then I must, so I can't logic my way out of it too often!

Moon, you are So Not Alone! At 68, having dealt with bp 1 for 38 years, I Still Have A Hard time with basic self care when depressed...I just don't care. What I've found is 'routine' and pushing myself to do just three things a day helps to avoid the never ending feeling of 'overwhelmed stop mode'. You'll find your way, working with pdoc....and more importantly, your willingness to reach out for help here :) Take Good Care!

miro853, I love that "3 things" routine. On my worst days, accomplishing three things would be monumental. I think because it's so challenging, the satisfaction from actually getting something done can sometimes be as good, or better, than my meds.

I make lists for a lot of reasons. But when I’m episodic I make lists that include basic things to keep myself motivated. I agree with sunny… it helps to have a nice product or take a bubble bath!