Bipolar Disorder Support Group
Bipolar disorder is not just a single disorder, but a category of mood disorders marked by periods of abnormally high energy and euphoria, often accompanied by bouts of clinical depression. This is the place to talk about your experience with bipolar disorder, learn from others' experiences, and find support.
I forget a lot and I scares me. I can't really tell what is happening to me with these mental illnesses but my friend understands herself and she says she's so nice all day the. Has to explode after a while. I think I'm like that. How do I start to know exactly how I act or am. Anyone else have this problem too?
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Ever since I stopped doing therapy because of insurance, I've been feeling that old tense and irritable sense of anxiety and stress. I hate that. I was making so many strides and changes during therapy, my therapist would acknowledge all of my progress and accomplishments, and I miss that reassurance. Today I thought about it, and I made those changes! She would always tell me that I chose to...
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I haven't written in my diary on my computer since May because I thought that my computer was dying. I got away from writing but my computer is hanging in there. I think that I will start writing in it again. It's so therapeutic.
Self-honesty, running inventories, and channeling are how I handle it at present.
* Self-honesty: The heart goes where it goes; I feel what I feel. Instead of beating myself up for "Inappropriate" feelings, I work to accept my feelings as they are. Girl, howdy, it can be allot of work. If I feel anger, despair, disgust or whatever, I work toward gentle honesty with myself. Truth is so much easier to manage and keep tabs on. Self-compassion is more useful than beating myself up for the crime of being me.
* Running inventory: This would be the who, what, why, where and when are of the "inappropriate" emotions. It is not an Academic Assessment test. I don't hold myself to strict standards on it. Just enough to keep it honest. My journal is a tremendous aid in this step, as is sharing with members of my therapy support network.
* Channeling: When my emotions are boiling and I deny and/or repress them, they get more out-of-hand than a pack of unsupervised toddlers. They turn to random targeting as quick as a gun trigger. Anger is my personal bad girl. When I feel lost and/or confused, anger is my front-line response and there is no predicting which toddler in the pack is gonna get hit. Who needs an excuse? On the other extreme, when I am feeling lovey and gushy, my emotional syrup can gush like a sexually abused child acting out. I have collected an armory full of therapy tools to channel the emotions in to.
Thanks for the high fiber chew, Bravered. In addition to the December madness, my family and I have been dealing with grief over the loss of my husband's parents. My emotional responses are all over the map and managing my own emotions while remaining supportive of other family members is an especially great challenge these days. Been forgetting allot, too. I, just-a-patient, strictly personal, needed this review.
Gentle support while you figure out your own. I don't think Nature has a copy and paste app for this one. We are each unique on this subject. Not claiming expertise. I only believe.
When times get tough I use a " moodscale" 1 being the worst I have ever felt and 10 being the most manic. I check in where I am each day. If I'm too far down or too far up extra help is required. Sometimes that means making an appointment to my pdoc or tdoc, or getting medication. Other times it means getting out of the house and going to the gym, taking a long walk or seeing a friend...
But what it really means is that I have a way of checking in with myself so I know what is going on mood wise. Whenever I can I want to stay ahead of my symptoms and not have them control my life...