HOW DO YOU HANDLE YOUR BIPOLAR HIGHS, MANIA, AND PSYCHOSIS?
in the most impulsive and irresponsible ways I can think of!
>>16588156
3/10 tho wouldn't recommend. had some cool life experience but not worth the lasting misery of your past haunting you.
>>16588147
>meds
>therapy
>getting enough rest
>eating a decent diet and not junk
>keeping your stress level reasonable even if it means saying no to things that you feel you "should" do
the first two are the most important if you're dealing with bipolar and psychosis. if your symptoms are mild and you don't have a tendency to do life-destroying things when manic or psychotic (committing crimes, trashing your credit, destroying property, fucking up your relationships), then you *might* be able to get by without meds. therapy or at least a support group or online community is still recommended though.
>>16588190
actual therapist in the house
>>16588197
why do you say that?
>>16588147
i usually blast death metal and furiously clean shit, if it's a weekend I'll go to a punk/metal show and mosh like a demon and get so exhausted i can barely make it home.
When I'm low I usually eat a bunch of sugar and call my AA sponsor and he'll take me to meetings where I'll be okay for a while. We'll often get food afterwards too.
I used to just get shitfaced drunk on both ends. My disorder isn't as severe as others I've seen though, like my step-mom. She often couldn't even get out of bed for hours, whereas I am at least able to hold down a job, though I've lost jobs in the past from yelling at people or not showing up (my current job is the longest position I've ever held...just over one year) but I've been managing.
About 750mg of depakote daily.
I never realized how amazing feeling stable is until I had it.
>>16588199
because i've seen a psychiatrist and a therapist the last 5 years, and you pretty much nailed their primary messages.
although they would disagree slightly with you and place sleep higher on the list.
>>16588207
this anon knows what's up too, use your energy levels to their best effect. a lot of bipolar and psychotic people are also really creative. maybe have a creative hobby like art or playing music that you can do when you're feeling it, and if you're depressed and don't feel like painting or playing for a month or so, then that's ok too.
>>16588217
good, I was afraid you were going to tell me I was a shill for therapists or something. I'm actually not a therapist but have been to enough of them in my day.
and yeah now that you mention it, sleep is probably more important than diet. though I will say, some people notice a significant difference with proper nutrition. but then some don't. better to eat something than nothing though.
Not sure what I really got, over the years different shrinks tell me I got different diagnoses.
From what I figure it's some kind of manodepression or something, I have periods when I'm really hyped and some when I'm so depressed I just stare at the wall.
I've managed to get the manic episodes under control with years of training, mainly to just shut the fuck up, take a deep breath and try to stay calm. It's gotten to where it only really flares up when I'm drinking, especially when around a lot of people.
The "down" periods still last for fairly long but I try to handle them by getting off my ass, doing some exercise at home (pushups and such, recently got into shovelglove). Also taking my bike everywhere and drinking less helps a lot for those.
As the mosh guy mentioned earlier, working yourself to exhaustion helps a lot against both (and also with sleep issues).
I try not to think about it to much, unless if its in a constructive way i.e. "Now i feel down, have i exercised properly lately, when did it start and why, what can i do to feel better and not fall back to this the same way again."
Telling yourself you feel bad without trying to improve will reinforce it (our brains work that way apparently). Its not easy and take time but it feels like a do a little steady progress over time.
>>16588241
Forgot to mention it, but I also play and listen to a lot of music, both playing drums and screaming my guts out help a lot.
I've been on a few meds over the years but the only one that helped me at all made me feel and act like a zombie so fuck that noise, I'd rather sort myself out.
