Straight Talk on Managing Bipolar Disorder

I just wrote a post about how I often have downswings after really great events. Such as turning in my latest book proposal. The post is below. Here is an excellent reader commnet on the post:

Hi Julie I quite often get a downswing after something really good. This then makes me feel even worse as i feel ungrateful for not being able to enjoy something good. Other times i have to be careful that i dont allow mania to set in but in doing this, it can also lead to a downswing. I quite often feel i am living a “catch 22”.

Hi Joanne,

Wow Joanne. It is SO helpful for me to hear that others go through this! I am going to post your comment on the top of the blog so that people can see it. I will then add some tips on what to do to prevent this and manage it [ Read More ]

Bipolar Disorder and Exercise. Why it helps. There are a few technical reasons:

1. It increases serotonin 2. It creates endorphins

There are also tons of health reasons that I’m sure you know.

But did you know that exercise helps depression for one psychological reason? When you get one thing done, such as taking a short walk, your brain finds it a lot easier to get the next thing done. Exercise cuts down on depression brain resistance! How can your brain tell you that you never get anything done and that you’re a failure if you just exercised! You have duped the brain and that is a secret to managing the illness.

I have 50 ways to get things done in my book Get it Done When You’re Depressed. I use them all. That is how I write my books even when I’m crying from the stress. We can get things done when we’re depressed, [ Read More ]