Bipolar Disorder Mood Swings are so unpredictable!

Well, I just got out of a rotten down swing. What’s so amazing and just as frustrating about this illness is that we can be extremely ill one day- even suicidal and then boom. It’s gone. It wears me out, but I’m glad to be my normal self again.

When I get really sick- no matter what the mood swing- I use all of my energy to remind myself of one thing:

I think, say and do certain things depending on the type of mood swing I’m experiencing. This means it’s an illness.

Once I learned all of my symptoms- I wrote them on my Health Cards and my life changed forever.

I used the Health Cards all week last week! Depression is so hard.

Julie

I’m going to rename the Health Cards so feel free to send me your ideas. If you’re not familiar with the Health Cards, they are the treatment plan I created in 1999. You can read about the system on www.bipolarhappens.com

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Well, I woke up depressed, so I’m going to do every single thing possible to make sure I have a good day. 

I will read:

Donald Trump: Never Give Up

I will be with friends: I can call or set up times to see them.

I WILL appreciate the fact that my mom lives close by and I can see her.  I am so lucky and I know it.

I can play with my mom’s puppy- her name is Cookie and she is an amazing depression buster!

and of course,,, I will remind myself all day that this is an illness and that nothing has changed in my life. I’m depressed because I have bipolar disorder.

It will get better as long as I keep moving forward.

Julie

I’ve found that it helps to have things planned when you have depression problems. You may not WANT to plan things, but making the effort can make a huge difference.  If you’re lonely, check out meetin.org or Craigslist groups.

 I talk about these sites all of the time because I’ve met SO many friends off the internet. There is also a great group called USA Fit (usafit.com) that helps people walk or run marathons. Don’t worry! You can just do the group without doing the marathon, but I did a ten mile walk once! This is a great way to stay healthy and meet lots of new people. The registration will be in 2009, but you can get connected to your city group now.

Depression is isolating- but just doing one thing that makes you get outside the house can cut your depression symptoms in half in one day. No kidding. My motto is: I want to go to bed feeling better than when I got up.

That motto really helps on the tough days.  This is why I wrote the book Get it Done When You’re Depressed. I wanted to help others get out and end that depression!

 Julie

All right Julie, you just keep going…

This is what I say to myself when I wake up in a down mood. My mind starts to go into the- “what’s the point?” direction- and I make myself stop it.

First of all, not everything has to have a point and not everything I do has to have great meaning.

Secondly, I have an illness that makes me doubt everything when I’m depressed.

The best thing to do is to just keep going. I can find meaning AFTER I’ve done something.

This helps me GET THINGS DONE!

Julie

I’m slightly down today- well, probably more than slightly. I had a weeklong hypomanic episode last week and I knew this would happen. I still always hope it won’t. It has been 13 years and every time I have mania I go down almost immediately- and yet I still think things will change! What has changed is that I know how to manage these mood swings 1000x better than I use to.

It’s just sad and so unfair. I wonder how you’re feeling as you read this? Or maybe someone you care about is not doing well. I’ve been on both sides.

I can say with all certainty that this is just a mood swing. There is nothing wrong with my life. I need to figure out what triggered it, though I think it was just the sunny weather. It happens every year.

So, I’m at my house feeling down and crying a bit. Believe it or not, this is when I think of my own books! My mind has trouble taking care of itself when I get depressed, so I just remember what I wrote.

- It’s an illness. The depression will end.
- Get up! Get out! Get it Done!
- Call a friend and plan a meeting tonight.
- Get out in the sun.
- Praise myself for what I have accomplished today.
- Go to karaoke tonight and get some work done- I like to work in noise!

There is a lot I can do and I plan on doing all of it! My goal is to go to bed feeling better than I do right now.

Julie

PS: It’s still not fair.