see my pdoc and tdoc regularly and take my meds religously, when i do not go to dr or mess with my meds I get ill. also do things that i love to do, hobbies

Take my meds,try to eat right,get some excercise,stay away from triggers....and even with all that,I might still have a breakthrough episode once in a while..I'm not sure the Beast can be tamed..caged for a while,but never totally contained.

learn skills for dealing with the rollercoaster & use them to minimize the negative effects.

Try and listen to anyone that loves you but also remember who is at the full mercy of the illness.Act accordingly whenever it's possible.
Sleep 8 hours.That's difficult too.
Do the things that boost you but won't damage either.

How do you define success? Success is different for each person. Success to me is not making x amount of money or having x amount of things. Success to me is having faith, the proper medications to treat my illness, positive attitude, being an effective parent and daughter. How do I do all these things? Proper sleep, exercise, healthy diet, surround myself with positive people, meditate, having Jesus in my life,and being the change I want to see in the world.

Reply # 5

My biggest problem is my faith.I want to improve that.

by successful I take it you mean keep relatively well-ish..alive etc?

going by all people with BP I know, including self..in real life-

what helps: staying on meds, being proactive in your treatment ie/being informed etc, good support network, regular exercise, good sleep habits...trying not to escape demons via drink & drugs.

Avoid alcohol, sleep, take my medications, try to avoid triggers,

I don't think I am successful...had a lot of episodes but I find that when I exercise, eat right and get on a set schedule of sleeping and eating my days go better. Oh yes and sticking to your meds, avoiding stressors and having someone to talk to about your deepest feelings is important too.

Try to be consistant with my meds.

sleep, exercise, keep a schedule, keep stress at bay.

Urg, our organization is cutting 10% of the workforce. That wouldn't be considered a trigger, would it?

I am a fucking gangster.

I take my meds, I get A's in school, I I work out consistently, I shoot archery, I (often!) eat well, and hey, you know what, when the times right I get a little drunk with my buddies, and occasionally smoke a bonghit.

And yes, a lot of you would say "you shouldn't do that!! You're dumb you're putting yourself at risk for an episode!" But you know what, fuck it. I am 21 years old. I am not ready to give up all that stuff quite yet. And the proof is in the pudding, my damn good grades are reason enough to give myself a little reward. And I carry extra risperdal around in my pocket just incase shit hits the fan somehow and I go manic.

I am one hell of a successful, high functioning bipolar. The only two things I do not have right now are a girlfriend (who needs one) and a job (shitty economy and I'm too busy).

Love what you posted, Treeshrew. Hahaha. S'great! :)

oh & yeah..so true..you're 21.

You go Treeshrew! Those were the days!